Silver And Black Pride
We’re in the hurry up and wait period of the offseason, with the Las Vegas Raiders on a summer break before training camp. But we still have this week’s mailbag to get to, touching on camp, Maxx Crosby trade rumors and a bunch of season preview questions. Let’s get to it!
Q: With the talk around Maxx Crosby getting traded not going away, assume the Raiders do deal him before the start of the season. Who is your ideal trade partner, and what is a realistic “best case” trade in your opinion? What are the odds he gets traded?
A: I got a bunch of Crosby questions this week since the trade talks in the media picked up. Someone else asked if I think there is some fire with the smoke that’s out there, and I do think there’s some truth to it because of who is saying it.
Vinny Bonsignore of the California Post (formerly of the Las Vegas Review-Journal) is the most plugged-in reporter on the beat, in my opinion, and he’s been one of the driving forces behind a Crosby trade still being alive. Less than two weeks ago, Bonsignore wrote a column about why the 49ers should trade for the pass-rusher after the Rams acquired Myles Garrett. The way I see it, if Vinny were hearing that the Raiders aren’t interested in trading Crosby anymore, he’d be pushing back against those talks rather than contributing to them.
As far as an ideal trade partner, I definitely don’t want to see Crosby go to another team in the division and would prefer it if he landed somewhere in the NFC. However, the latter wouldn’t be a deal breaker, and I’d just want to see the Raiders get the biggest return possible, even if that’s a non-AFC West AFC team. If they can get another club to come up to the two first-round picks price tag again, then that’s a perfect situation. But, realistically, it feels like a first and a second are the ceiling for the deal.
And your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the odds of a Crosby trade happening. A week ago, I felt like nothing would happen until the trade deadline, but it seems like the tide might be shifting. If there’s an update on Crosby’s knee during the downtime, that’s a good sign he’s still being shopped because it means the Raiders want to let other clubs know he’s on the market and healthy.
Q: What are the odds Jackson Powers-Johnson gets traded?
A: Before training camp, pretty low. But if Powers-Johnson doesn’t earn a starting spot by the end of camp or is falling out of favor during it, then I think it’s more likely that he gets traded than finishes the season in Las Vegas. Personally, I still like JPJ to win a starting job this summer, but he definitely has to earn it and will be on the hot seat.
**Q: What’s going to be...
