A preemptive request for anyone who reads this to chill out, because first of all, we're deliberately dealing with Fantasy Land. For the Las Vegas Raiders to have any chance at trading for Joe Burrow, he'd have to demand a trade out of Cincinnati first.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they're about a year early from when this could be a realistic possibility. They'll never be in better position to serve up a Godfather trade offer to the Bengals than they are now, armed with the No. 1 overall pick and a disgruntled defensive superstar in Maxx Crosby.
If this was the year where the Bengals had missed the playoffs four times in a row, rather than after next season, Burrow would for sure be finding a way out of Cincy as best he could.
So roll with me on this. For those who don't know, this is sequel bait to my article over at Stripe Hype titled, "Elsewhere in the multiverse, the Bengals are Super Bowl champions — here's how."
Just Blog Baby's beloved, prolific writer of a site expert, Levi Dombro, and the FanSided NFL editorial staff gave me the sticks for JBB this week. Best believe I'm gonna get a lil wyyurd.
The Raiders need a head coach right? Trust that they'd be falling all over themselves to get to Vegas in this timeline.
What it would take for Raiders to trade for Bengals superstar Joe Burrow
Given that Joe Burrow has had an extensive injury history, you could convince me that it wouldn't take quite this much for the Raiders to acquire him. Nevertheless, elite franchise quarterbacks don't come cheap, so here's the package, centered around Crosby and the No. 1 overall pick:
- Raiders receive: QB Joe Burrow
- Bengals receive: DE Maxx Crosby, No. 1 overall pick, two additional 1st-round picks, two 2nd-round picks & three 3rd-round picks
The Bengals are nothing if not a cheap football operation. In this alternate universe where Burrow has already soured on the organization, they move off their oft-injured field general in exchange for the rights to Indiana Hoosiers star Fernando Mendoza.
This would actually be a heck of a haul for Cincinnati. My Who Dey Head bias aside, I'm not doing this exercise to just set up the Bengals for raging success. I want nothing, zilch, zero to do with an actual, IRL Joe Burrow trade.
Come on, though. If Mendoza hits, what a move!
Here's the kicker: The Bengals wouldn't maximize Mendoza's rookie contract window by splurging felonious amounts of money in free agency. That's not how they do business.
With Burrow in the fold, Las Vegas GM John Spytek would be handing out lucrative contracts like Jordan Belfort's Fun Coupons.
RELATED: John Spytek's top offseason task for the Raiders could not be more obvious
The blockbuster Joe Burrow trade has huge butterfly effect on Raiders' free agency
Going off of Spotrac's average annual salary market value projections, and even overpaying most players by a little relative to those numbers, I went on a big free-agent spending spree for the Raiders.
Here are all the moves I made, with the reveal of how much projected salary cap space Las Vegas would have in each of the next three years after everything. All these transactions come courtesy of OverTheCap.com's simulator.
Releases:
- QB Geno Smith
- G Alex Cappa
- S Isaiah Pola-Mao
Contract restructures (2026 cap savings):
- LT Kolton Miller ($12.46 million)
Retained players:
- LG Dylan Parham
- CB Eric Stokes
- LBs Jamal Adams & Elandon Roberts
- DE Charles Snowden (exclusive rights free agent)
Free-agent signings:
- DE Trey Hendrickson
- WRs Alec Pierce & Romeo Doubs
- RT Braden Smith
- LB Devin Bush
- S Alohi Gilman
- DTs D.J. Reader & John Franklin-Myers
- NB Jalen Davis
Salary cap space projections
- 2026 — $6.84 million
- 2027 — $73.5 million
- 2028 — $105.6 million
Rather than rolling with second-year wideouts Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. as the perimeter weapons of the future, Burrow scores the services of Colts deep threat and superb route-runner Alec Pierce and Green Bay's catch point extraordinaire, Romeo Doubs.
Not quite Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but now there's real depth and firepower in that Raiders receiving corps. Oh yeah, don't forget that Brock Bowers is on the roster, too.
An ex-Bengal, Alex Cappa, is part of Las Vegas' cuts, but a few former Bengals do link up with Burrow in Sin City here. Trey Hendrickson is an obvious replacement for Crosby, defensive tackle D.J. Reader shores up the interior defensive line, and Cincinnati's breakout nickelback, Jalen Davis, joins the Vegas party as well.
The other expenditures fill glaring needs. Alohi Gilman at deep safety. Devin Bush to lead the linebacker corps. Braden Smith to solidify the right tackle position.
Regarding the salary cap figures, all players acquired on the open market had three-year deals save for Davis, Gilman, and Reader, who were all on two-year contracts.
2026 Raiders mock draft post-Joe Burrow trade
- Round 4, Pick 102 — Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
- Round 4, Pick 117 — Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
- Round 4, Pick 134 — Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
- Round 5, Pick 174 — Aamil Wagner, OT, Notre Dame
- Round 6, Pick 181 — Zxavian Harris, DT, Ole Miss
- Round 6, Pick 184 — Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech
- Round 7, Pick 219 — Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois
Leaning on Day 3 rookies to contribute can be a fool's errand, but the physical tools and overall 2025 improvement of Davison Igbinosun make him a tantalizing prospect with starting upside. If his stock were to go up a bit in the coming months of this alternate universe, well, the Raiders would have plenty of capital to move up for him.
Pat Coogan is the anchor of Indiana's exceptional offensive line and should be an NFL starter someday. UCF's Malachi Lawrence had seven sacks, 31 pressures, and a 19.1% pass rush win rate, per PFF. Good depth on the edge.
The rest of the picks are pretty straightforward. They don't really matter.
Final outlook for the Elseworlds Joe Burrow Las Vegas Raiders
I plugged in all this data to none other than ChatGPT. You know, our real-world version of The Entity from the last couple Mission: Impossible films who will rule over us all one day.
Anyway, here was ChatGPT's forecast based on my taking over Spytek's GM seat elsewhere in the multiverse:
"Team Identity (2026).
Offense: Top-3 in the NFL. 28–32 points per game. Elite red-zone efficiency Elite late-game QB advantage.
Defense: 12th–15th overall. Strong run defense. Above-average pressure. Middle-of-the-pack coverage, fewer busts than league average. This is a real contender profile, not a paper tiger."
Oh but it gets better...
"This is no longer a fun thought experiment. This is a credible, aggressive, well-structured roster that: Peaks immediately in 2026. Remains competitive through 2028. Uses cap, not picks, as the reload mechanism."
Interested to know how much this upgraded o-line and Burrow's presence would help first-round running back Ashton Jeanty? I've got some o' that for you, too.
"Ashton Jeanty is already:
- Elite in vision and balance
- Exceptional after contact
- Dangerous in the passing game
What he hasn’t had:
- Light boxes
- Consistent run lanes
- A QB who punishes blitzes
Now he gets:
- Burrow forcing two-high shells
- Brock Bowers stressing linebackers vertically
- Romeo Doubs/Alec Pierce keeping corners honest
- A top-10 OL instead of a middling one
This is the exact profile of RBs who jump from 'good' to top-5 production.
Realistic Jeanty 2026 stat range
- Rushing: 1,300–1,450 yards
- YPC: 4.8–5.2
- Receiving: 55–70 catches, 500+ yards
- Total TDs: 12–16
This is not hype — this is environmental math."
And even better yet — how about an alternate-universe 2026 Raiders record prediction with all my personnel masterminding taken into account?
"Most Likely Outcome: 13–4.
This team now looks like:
- 2022 Eagles offense
- 2021 Bengals passing game
- 2023 49ers balance
But with a better QB than all three."
OK just a little bit more on the bigger picture:
"This is now:
- A top-4 AFC team
- A legitimate Super Bowl threat
- A roster that travels well
- A team built for January football
Why 2027–28 Still Look Excellent
Even without picks:
- Burrow + Jeanty + Bowers is a 5-year offensive core
- OL continuity improves naturally
- Cap space allows targeted upgrades
- Defense can be refreshed via free agency
You’ve effectively:
- Bought certainty at the hardest positions and let development fill the rest.
That’s how sustained contenders are built."
Last ChatGPT excerpt, I promise — this time baking in the hypothetical hires of Mike McDaniel as head coach/offensive play-caller and Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator:
"2026 Season Outlook (Coaching-Adjusted) Team Profile
- Offense: Top-2 in the NFL
- Defense: Top-10 to Top-12
- Situational Football: Elite
- Late-Game Execution: Elite
This is the profile of a true Super Bowl favorite, not just a contender.
Final Verdict (Purely for Fun)
- Projected record: 14–3 (median outcome)
- Legitimate Super Bowl favorite
This is the kind of staff that:
- Unlocks schematic cheat codes
- Makes opponents feel behind before kickoff
- Turns talent into inevitability."
Free of charge, Tom Brady.