As starting quarterback Geno Smith said after the Las Vegas Raiders’ recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders need to do some “soul searching” during the Week 8 bye.
The defeat in Kansas City
highlighted how far off the roster is from being competitive and means Las Vegas will head into November at 2-5. With the NFL’s trade deadline coming up on the fourth, part of the front office’s “soul searching” should be to start offloading current players and building for the future by acquiring draft picks and/or young talents that fit with the current regime’s long-term vision.
My colleague Tristian Kuhn already highlighted a handful of trade deadline candidates for the Raiders, all of whom I agree with. But I’ll throw one more name into the mix who could get dealt: offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson.
With that, let’s dive into the case for and the case against trading the second-year pro.
Case For
It seems pretty clear that Powers-Johnson and the new regime haven’t been on the same page essentially since John Spytek and Pete Carroll were hired in the offseason. Despite the 2024 second-round pick showing promise and finishing his rookie season strong, Spytek and Carroll had JPJ competing for a starting spot since OTAs and even had him losing regular-season snaps to Alex Cappa. The low point being the Oregon product’s benching this past Sunday in Kansas City. On top of that, he’s been vocal about preferring to play center over guard.
So, if Powers-Johnson doesn’t fit into the new regime’s long-term vision and isn’t going to get much playing time moving forward, a split would make sense for both parties. That way, he can go to a team where he can see the field at his natural position, and the organization gets draft picks or a player swap to build the club the way it wants to.
Also, the 22-year-old who turns 23 in January is still young and was widely considered one of the best centers in the 2024 draft class. So, the Raiders might lose some return on their investment in the 2024 No. 44 overall pick, but the loss shouldn’t be too significant given his age and potential. And again, this is a player who appears to have fallen out of favor with the current coaching staff.
Case Against
As mentioned above, there’s plenty of reason to believe Powers-Johnson could eventually blossom into a quality pro offensive lineman. This could be a situation where the organization benefits from being patient by continuing to work with and developing him in the coaching staff’s system. Typically, it would have to take a significant conflict to move on from a young, promising player a year after he was drafted.
Also, there’s no guarantee that the current coaching staff sticks around past this season. With how 2025 has played out so far, it’s not out of the question for Carroll to be a one-and-done head coach, especially since he’s 74 years old and the Raiders are trending toward another rebuild. Even if Carroll sticks around, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is considered to be on the hot seat.
Ultimately, the decision to trade Powers-Johnson or not comes down to Spytek. Yes, the general manager has come under fire recently, too, but he holds all the cards when it comes to the Raiders’ roster right now. Unless Mark Davis steps in, it’s Spytek’s call, and Davis has generally been hands-off when it comes to any football decisions during his tenure as owner.
What do you think? Should the Raiders trade Jackson Powers-Johnson? Or what would be the bare minimum they’d have to get in return for you to consider it?
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