Raiders DL Adam ButlerCooper Neill/Getty Images
On paper, the Las Vegas Raiders appear poised to make some noise in the AFC West in 2024.
Las Vegas showed promise late last season and notched wins over all three divisional opponents. Earlier this offseason, the Raiders added instant-impact pieces like defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, quarterback Gardner Minshew and rookie tight end Brock Bowers.
There's still time for Las Vegas to add another piece or two before training camp opens on July 21. With $34.1 million in cap space remaining, the Raiders can consider both the free-agent and trade markets.
If the Raiders choose to execute a late swap, however, they'll need to create an attractive trade package. Draft picks are always valuable, and Las Vegas has all seven of its 2025 selections.
Players could enter the equation too, though, and with this in mind, let's examine three trade candidates on the Raiders' roster who could be moved and why.
Edge Malcolm Koonce
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Realistically, the Raiders would much rather extend defensive end Malcolm Koonce than trade him. The 26-year-old emerged as a strong complement to star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby this past season and deserves to have a future with the franchise.
Koonce finished the 2023 season with nine tackles for loss, eight sacks and 23 quarterback pressures.
If Las Vegas is looking to make a splash trade, however, Koonce might just be its top realistic bargaining chip.
The Raiders certainly aren't offering up Crosby in a trade, and Koonce is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Without an extension or the franchise tag, there's a chance Las Vegas will lose him in 2025 free agency anyway. If moving him now could help strengthen another position of need, the Raiders would have to at least consider it.
And while losing Koonce would be a detriment to the defense, it could also help open up opportunities for 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson. Wilson didn't have a massive impact as a rookie, but he did record 3.5 sacks and 11 quarterback pressures while playing just 44 percent of the defensive snaps.
DT Adam Butler
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Like Koonce, defensive tackle Adam Butler is set to be a free agent in 2025. He re-signed on a one-year deal this offseason but could potentially struggle to see playing time this season.
Defensive tackle John Jenkins was a 17-game starter in 2023, and Wilkins i guaranteed to see a starting role. 2023 third-round pick Byron Young is also looking for opportunities after playing a mere 99 defensive snaps as a rookie.
None of this means that Butler is simply expendable. He was a valuable role player last season, his first in Las Vegas. He finished the year with 28 tackles, five sacks, eight tackles for loss and 10 quarterback pressures.
If another team finds itself desperate for help on the defensive interior, however, Butler could conceivably bring a strong return. The 30-year-old has never been a full-time starter, but defensive tackles who can get after the quarterback will always be coveted in the NFL.
Butler has shown that he can generate interior pressure. In six seasons with the Raiders, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, he has averaged just over 3.5 sacks per campaign.
TE Michael Mayer
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In a vacuum, trading tight end Michael Mayer just one year after using a second-round pick to select him wouldn't make much sense. However, the Raiders just used the 13th overall pick on Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, the second-ranked prospect at any position on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's final draft board.
A world certainly exists where new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy looks to maximize both tight ends in his offense.
" I feel like we can both do it all," Mayer said, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I think we're gonna be dangerous."
There's no guarantee that Getsy will use that approach, though. He had one star tight end in Cole Kmet with the Chicago Bears last season, and Kmet led the position group with 90 targets and 73 receptions. Robert Tonyan was second with just 17 targets and 11 catches.
Getsy could use a similar split in Las Vegas, especially with receivers Davante Adams, Jakobi Meters and Tre Tucker likely to limit the use of two-tight-end sets. If that's the case, recouping some of the Raiders' investment in Mayer could make sense.
Las Vegas has another capable receiving tight end in Harrison Bryant, and Mayer's draft pedigree could generate quite a bit of interest on the trade market.
