The Las Vegas Raiders have a long road ahead of them to get the ship headed in the right direction. And they may have to make some bold moves to hit the ground running in 2025.
The San Francisco 49ers, having already executed a significant trade involving Deebo Samuel, may be poised for further roster adjustments to align with General Manager John Lynch’s objective of rejuvenating the team. At the NFL Combine, Lynch addressed trade rumors surrounding Brandon Aiyuk, emphasizing the team’s need to get younger.
“You get calls and you always listen to calls,” Lynch stated regarding Aiyuk. “I think since Kyle and I have been here, we’ve been certainly a top five, I believe, number two, cash spending team in the four years. Going into the fourth year, I think we’re the fourth-highest cash-spending team, so at some point you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate. You can’t just keep pressing the pedal and I think there’s some good that could come out. We need to get younger, I think we’re the oldest team in football trying to make a run at the deal last year. And I think it’s good to constantly get younger.”
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Las Vegas Raiders Secure Christian McCaffrey In Trade Proposal
Beyond Aiyuk, TWSN’s Marissa Myers proposed a bold scenario involving a trade of Christian McCaffrey to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The 49ers are coming off a season in which they went 6-11, which for the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan is falling way short of expectations,” Myers wrote.
“While McCaffrey had a stellar season in 2023 with 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns, he only played in four games in 2024 after dealing with Achilles tendinitis. With how the 49ers are addressing this offseason so far, it’s clear their focus is to get younger in the NFL Draft and use 2025 as a retool year. With McCaffrey getting older, he won’t get as much in return as he once would’ve, but he will still get draft picks back for San Francisco, free up cap room, and allow them to get younger at the position.”
McCaffrey’s importance to the 49ers’ success is undeniable, but his health has been a recurring concern. In 2023, he played a crucial role in their Super Bowl run, appearing in 19 games and leading the league in rushing and scrimmage yards. Last season, his absence significantly impacted the team. With a relatively modest $9.4 million cap hit, trading McCaffrey would primarily be driven by the 49ers’ desire to acquire draft capital and get younger.
Meanwhile, the Raiders have been actively reshaping their roster, securing Maxx Crosby’s future with an extension and acquiring Geno Smith, whom they are reportedly looking to extend. However, they lack a prominent running back for their offense. “With Smith at quarterback, Pete Carroll will know having a stable run game is crucial to the offense’s success,” Myers noted.
“At the current moment, Las Vegas does not have that. The running back room for Las Vegas currently consists of Sincere McCormick, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White, and Dylan Laube. There are no standout names that are going to actually lead the ground game. While McCaffrey is still coming off an injury, he provides the veteran experience and can still uplift the room more than what the Raiders have right now. Trading for McCaffrey wouldn’t stop Las Vegas from also drafting a running back, which would further encourage the trade for McCaffrey to have the rookie learn from.”