Lamar Jackson trade speculation is heating up and one report has tabbed the Las Vegas Raiders as a possible landing spot for him in 2026.
With Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the midst of a disappointing season that could end in Week 17 with Baltimore facing elimination with a loss or a Pittsburgh Steelers win, the two sides are at a crossroads.
Jackson is slated to account for a $74.5 million cap hit in each of the next two years, and that's not just tenable for Baltimore. So, the Ravens could decide to extend Jackson to lower that cap hit, but that could cost $60 million annually, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.
It remains to be seen if the Ravens want to make that commitment after another failed year. If not, Baltimore could look to trade him, but Jackson has say over where he lands because of his no-trade clause.
If that happens, The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston named the Miami Dolphins as a team Jackson wants to play for, but he also mentioned the Raiders as a possible desired landing spot for the four-time Pro Bowler.
Preston notes that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has "shown a fondness" for the Ravens superstar, so it's conceivable that Las Vegas could have interest.
"The Ravens should look at possible trades, which could net them two or three first-round picks," Preston said. "Jackson would love to play in Miami, where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is no longer the starter, or possibly Las Vegas, where Brady, a partial owner of the Raiders, has shown a fondness for him. Baltimore should also draft a young quarterback in the early rounds."
As Preston notes, a trade for Jackson would be very expensive. The Raiders would probably be looking at giving up at least two first-round picks in such a deal.
The problem for the Raiders giving up that much is they still have a roster to build out and trading away multiple first-round picks will make that process more difficult, at least when it comes to building for the future.
However, the Raiders are likely to use one of those first-round picks on a quarterback, anyway, so that would soften the blow a bit.
The Raiders are well-situated when it comes to cap space, with Las Vegas projected to be sitting with $104.9 million next offseason, per Over The Cap, so they could build up the roster around Jackson quickly via free agency.
While it remains to be seen if the Raiders would take this route, there's no question that trading for Jackson would add a much-needed jolt to a franchise that has been down in the dumps for several years now.
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