The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is seemingly the anointed choice, barring something outlandishly unforeseen.
With that in mind, setting Mendoza up to succeed is of the utmost importance this offseason. Using their ample cap space to bolster the offensive line should be at the top of the to-do list, and the draft capital is there to generally bolster the talent around him.
That said, calculated aggressiveness could be in order as the Raiders eye a quick and sustainable rise under new head coach Klint Kubiak. Amid the trade speculation around Maxx Crosby, which he has done nothing to dismiss, maybe a move to bring in another star via trade would be on the radar.
Trade idea would bring Fernando Mendoza the WR1 he needs
A notable void in the Raiders' offense right now is anything resembling a proven No. 1 wide receiver. Tre Tucker certainly has a place in Kubiak's offense, but after Jakobi Meyers was traded, he showed that he's not that guy.
Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. could be unlocked by Kubiak, but they simply aren't known quantities right now. Piggybacking the selection of Mendoza by drafting a wide receiver he's familiar with could easily happen to give him his WR1, but let's get more aggressive in that effort.
While optimism is rightly high around the Raiders right now with a young head coach and quarterback on the way, another franchise that has struggled to find success lately continues to go in circles of despair: The New York Jets.
After his first season finished in awful fashion with multiple blowouts, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has overhauled his coaching staff. At this point, if he isn't fired in-season, Glenn seems sure to be two-and-done as head coach of the team that drafted him back when he was a player.
Being a Jets player has to be a frustrating, joyless experience, and it does not discriminate based on prior resume, draft status, etc. In that way, one could argue that it has been like playing on the Raiders. But stick with us.
Last offseason, after being subjected to Aaron Rodgers' favoritism for his buddy Davante Adams over the second half of the 2024 season, Garrett Wilson was clearly frustrated. If Rodgers had remained with the Jets, there was buzz about the former top-10 pick asking for a trade last offseason.
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The Jets ended up signing Wilson's college quarterback, Justin Fields, but things did not go well this past season. Fields was injured and then benched, and Wilson was eventually shut down due to a knee injury after playing just seven games.
Last July, the Jets signed Wilson to a four-year, $130 million contract extension. On the fifth day of the new league year, his 2027 base salary of $13.5 milion and $24.5 million in total compensation (according to Spotrac) become fully guaranteed.
So, Wilson is probably married to the Jets for the next three years, for better or, more likely, worse. Unless he becomes disgruntled again? Or if another NFL team makes a trade offer that New York simply cannot refuse?
Entering his fifth NFL season, Wilson will turn 26 in July. He has a lot of time left in his career, and wasting away on the Jets will inevitably become untenable. They essentially threw money at the problem when his unhappiness was clear.
With the assets they currently have, here's a trade offer the Raiders could make to pry Wilson from the Jets:
The player the Raiders would send to the Jets for Wilson is not as consequential as the draft picks they would part with. Defensive end Tyree Wilson, quarterback Geno Smith and Tucker also land as players who could be part of the hypothetical deal.
Of those players, however, Chinn may have the most value. The extra draft picks that would come in a possible Crosby trade could turn this trade idea into an offer the Jets can't refuse, and it would make the departure of said picks more palatable for Las Vegas.
The Raiders have the assets to give themselves a cornucopia of options this offseason. Nothing should be out of bounds until it's fully vetted, and the change of scenery Wilson needs (and may again want) can be given to him in Las Vegas.