The Las Vegas Raiders have learned the hard way during the 2025 NFL season that they were not, in fact, a quarterback away from being a completely different football team. Especially a quarterback like Geno Smith, who came in with high expectations and a high price tag but was a massive letdown.
For Raider Nation, all eyes have been on the 2026 NFL Draft to find their replacement under center, as they are fed up with simply patching things together at the game's most important position. Veteran Band-Aids have been disastrous for Las Vegas over the years.
But when Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow told reporters that he wasn't having fun anymore, many started to speculate that he wanted out. If the Raiders could land Burrow, that would probably be an exception for most fans who simply want to draft a new signal-caller. But is that smart?
Raiders reporter plays devil's advocate about Joe Burrow trade
A trade for Burrow would not only mean that Las Vegas would have to take on his massive contract, but they would have to send several Day 1 and Day 2 draft picks to Cincinnati, and perhaps a solid player or two. That is a mountain of capital to give up.
Late last week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore was asked if he believes the Raiders should be aggressive in pursuing Burrow at the price of two first-round picks and a second-rounder. Bosnignore replied with a nice bowl of reality soup.
"If the Raiders end up with the first or second pick, no doubt they would be in a position to entertain that idea. It would give them a great starting point to initiate discussions with the Bengals. One big issue: Burrow, 29, is owed $83.4 million in guaranteed money between 2026 and 2027. Assuming he remains on the roster in 2028 and 2029, he will be paid an additional $110.7 million. That is, if he doesn’t ask for a contract extension that includes more guaranteed money.
"He’s worth every penny. But given where the Raiders are from a roster-need perspective, does it make sense to surrender the amount of draft and financial capital necessary to acquire him? The Bengals will undoubtedly demand three first-round picks and two seconds.
"Would it be better to select a top quarterback prospect, then use the draft and free agency to maximize the benefits of an inexpensive QB by building a strong team around him?"
That is the million-dollar question for the Raiders. They know that they can't keep doing what they've been doing, as it leads to no success, but there is no clear route for where to go from here. On the one hand, if a team has a chance to land Burrow, they'd be crazy not to kick the tires on him.
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Effectively, Las Vegas would be using its premier draft picks to take a chance on finding a Burrow-like player. They could probably have him, however, for Bonsignore's steep listed price of three firsts and two seconds, and he's more surefire than any draft prospect, given his résumé in the NFL.
The other side of the coin, however, is that if a rookie quarterback does actually pan out for the Silver and Black, they would take up a mere fraction of the salary cap space. Plus, the Raiders would retain their other four premier draft picks and their money to help build around said young player.
Simply put, if the organization does try to trade for Burrow, Las Vegas has to believe that he, alone, is good enough to overcome all of the glaring errors that this team has. He has to have success despite a bad offensive line, an anemic run game and a shaky set of weapons outside of Brock Bowers.
Plus, Burrow would have to play hero ball again for the Raiders, just like he has for the Bengals, as neither team's defense is in a position to bail out the offense when they're not playing their best. It would be more of the same for Burrow, and a massively risky gamble for Las Vegas to take.
General manager John Spytek traded for a quarterback last offseason, but that was Pete Carroll's doing. Spytek doesn't strike me as the kind to give up tons of draft picks, as his background would indicate that he likes building through the draft.
However, if he does take the plunge for Burrow and it doesn't work out, he probably wouldn't still have a job, and therefore, wouldn't have to deal with the fallout of not having future draft picks. But Spytek would like to keep his job, so a Burrow trade is likely off the table.
Is Burrow great? Absolutely. Would he help this Raiders team? Certainly. But is he, or any one player, great enough to overcome the deficiencies of this roster? Is it worth it to wager the entire future on an injury-prone 29-year-old who is questioning his love for the game?
Probably not. Raiders fans might not want to hear it, but Bonsignore said it anyway. Even though I initially felt that Burrow was a stellar option, with the benefit of time, I have to agree with Bosignore here. Las Vegas is probably better off building this from the ground up and drafting a quarterback.
That said, you won't find me too upset if Burrow ends up in Sin City, either.