With the trade deadline approaching during the 2025 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders are, rightfully, being categorized as sellers. Collecting as many draft picks as possible for John Spytek to work with is likely the best course of action for this team to crawl its way out of the league's gutter.
But there are always exceptions. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson might be one, as the Raiders have no real long-term answers at the position. The same could be said about almost every position in Las Vegas; however, shoring up some spots matters more than others.
For instance, with Jakobi Meyers on the trade block and no real No. 1 wide receiver on the roster, it would behoove the Raiders to get a star pass-catcher to supplement Brock Bowers. Fortunately, a young star might be available, and Las Vegas can rescue him from one of its fellow sinking ships.
Raiders should make Jaguars an offer they can't refuse for Brian Thomas Jr.
On Saturday, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars were listening on calls for star wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. The second-year stud was a Pro Bowler during his rookie season last year, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Jacksonville began the 2025 season with a 4-1 record, but they're on a two-game losing streak heading into the bye week. On the heels of a 35-7 beatdown in London, they'll now have to travel for four of their next five games, and the season could get away from them quite quickly.
They are clearly looking to make changes, as Russini also reported that the Jaguars are shopping for defensive help. This leaves the Raiders with two clear options to trade them: Meyers or defensive end Malcolm Koonce.
Meyers would essentially replace Thomas at wide receiver and may fit more into Jacksonville's West Coast offense. Koonce, whom Las Vegas should be receiving calls about, also makes sense, considering his strong track record and his being on a one-year prove-it deal with the Raiders.
The Jaguars' first-year general manager, James Gladstone, has also been incredibly aggressive in the trade market since taking over this offseason. Plus, Thomas was drafted by the previous regime, and Gladstone and Co. have had no quarrels about moving on from underachievers.
Thomas has certainly underachieved a bit this season, as he's only on pace for 65 catches, 886 yards and 2 or 3 touchdowns. But, weirdly enough, there may be a logical explanation for his major regression, and it, shockingly, leads back to Pete Carroll.
Carroll's offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Shane Waldron, is now the passing game coordinator for the Jaguars. If one traces Waldron's history back a few years with wide receivers, it paints an awfully convincing picture.
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In 2020, Waldron was the passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, and Cooper Kupp caught 92 passes for 974 yards and 3 touchdowns. When Waldron left, Kupp caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, won the triple crown and the Super Bowl MVP the next year.
Of course, adding Matthew Stafford into the mix certainly helped. But Kupp is far from the only one. In Seattle, when Waldron was the offensive coordinator, the Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round from Ohio State.
As a rookie, he caught 63 passes for 628 yards and 4 touchdowns. When Waldron left for the Chicago Bears, Smith-Njigba had a breakout year, catching 100 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. This year, he's already caught 50 passes for 819 yards and 4 touchdowns in seven games.
Waldron was the offensive coordinator for the Bears in 2024, and rookie Rome Odunze caught just 54 passes for 734 yards and 3 touchdowns. This year, with Waldron gone, he's on pace for 68 catches for 1,017 yards and 14 touchdowns.
All three of the aforementioned receivers also saw their drop percentage plummet when Waldron left, including Smith-Njigba's dropping from 10.8% to 3.6% and Odunze's from 5.9% to 2.2%. With Waldron in Jacksonville, however, Thomas' has skyrocketed from 5.3% to a whopping 16.4%.
It seems like playing under Waldron is like being on a sinking ship for a wide receiver. But Carroll knows Waldron well, and Meyers had the best season of his career in Las Vegas last year under wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett, who now holds the same position in Jacksonville.
Waldron was also an assistant coach for the New England Patriots during Tom Brady's reign, so that is yet another connection between these two franchises. While ties between teams certainly factor in, the details of these deals also matter a great amount.
If Meyers is involved in the trade, the Raiders might be able to get away with him and a compensatory fourth-rounder for Thomas, but it may need to be a third-rounder. If it's Koonce, it will likely cost the Raiders him and a second-rounder to pry Thomas from Jacksonville.
While it may be perceived as careless to buy players at the deadline with a 2-5 record and no clear direction, Thomas is an incredibly talented wide receiver who could transform the Raiders' offense for years to come.
Las Vegas could certainly lean on its connections to try and rescue this young star. Thomas would be a No. 1 wideout in the Silver and Black for years to come, and he, Bowers, Ashton Jeanty and a young quarterback might restore this franchise to greatness.