Trade pitch sees Raiders acquire first-round bust for cheap

As far as trades not involving quarterbacks are concerned, the Tennessee Titans trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 goes down as one of the most lopsided.

Not only did the Titans give away a Super Bowl-winning receiver, but they hoped to replace him by drafting Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks in the first round of that year’s draft. Needless to say, Burks has not panned out, recording only 444 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season and seeing a statistical decline since. With the regime that drafted him now completely gone, it stands to reason that Burks’s time in Tennessee is finished, and his time in the NFL might not be too far behind.

This is where the Las Vegas Raiders can come into play, and they can swoop in to take a flier on the former first-round pick.

The Raiders could do far worse than take a shot on Burks at his low cost.

In his list of trade proposals before training camp, For the Win’s Cory Woodroof made a proposed trade that saw Burks come to Las Vegas for the price of a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick.

“If any team in the NFL could take a flier on a former first-round wideout, it’s the Raiders. Las Vegas has real questions at receiver, and Burks could contend for a starting role or a key depth role in Chip Kelly’s offense,” wrote Woodroof.

“Particularly with quarterback Geno Smith throwing the ball, we’d love to see Burks try to really get his NFL career going with one of the most pass-happy quarterbacks in the NFL. While the Titans would probably have to settle for a late pick, a fresh start feels right for all parties involved. The Raiders could be a nice landing spot for Burks at this point, and the Titans could give its younger receivers more reps.”

Burks is certainly not an ideal solution for the Raiders, especially with him being doubtful to start the 2025 season due to surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, but Woodroof is correct that the team does have questions at receiver.

Outside of Jakobi Meyers, the Raiders are lacking in surefire options at receiver. Tre Tucker has mostly been used as a situational vertical threat in his two seasons in the NFL, and an overreliance on rookies Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. is a risky bet in and of itself. These concerns are somewhat mitigated by tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, as well as potential contributions from running backs Ashton Jeanty and Raheem Mostert, but another option to round out the room might not be a bad way to go.

If the Raiders still see something in Burks that could translate to at least some level of NFL success, a dart throw that only costs a seventh-round pick is worth looking into.