Raiders ‘talking all the time’ with NFL trade deadline a day away

With the NFL trade deadline set for 1 p.m. Tuesday and the Raiders holding a 4-5 record, coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that the organization is in ongoing conversations about potential moves. "We're talking all the time," Kubiak said at Intermountain Health Performance Center. "That hasn't changed. As the deadline approaches, things get more urgent and we'll continue to talk." Kubiak has not addressed the deadline with the team, but acknowledged that veterans such as quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive end Maxx Crosby have been the subject of external speculation. He credited both players for handling the uncertainty professionally, noting, "That's the business that we're in. That's the business of football, and those guys are veterans. They've been around that, so you just keep working."

Despite five losses in their last six games, Kubiak rejected the notion that the season is part of a rebuilding effort. The Raiders are tied for ninth in the AFC, one game and a tiebreaker behind the New England Patriots. "We're talking about being in every game and winning every game. That's how we treat it," Kubiak said. "We're not looking at the future as coaches or players. You develop the future on the way, but every game we're talking about winning that game. We are not satisfied with a rebuilding process, so that's the mentality I want our players and coaches to have."

Kubiak also addressed a pivotal sequence in Sunday's 38-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Tight end Brock Bowers had a catch-and-run that gave Las Vegas first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, but three plays later Cousins threw an interception in the end zone. Kubiak said the coaching staff upstairs did not have a confident look to challenge whether Bowers broke the plane on the initial catch. "In real time, that was the information we got. We stayed on the ball and we got stuffed, and then we get offensive pass interference. Then we throw a pick. So, we've got to find a way to get that ball in (the end zone) regardless. We did not."

Rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy continues to see an increased role, playing 26 defensive snaps against the 49ers after logging 34 against the New York Jets the previous week. The fourth-round pick, who missed the 2025 college season with a torn right ACL, had totaled just 30 defensive snaps over the first seven weeks. "Just a player that's ascending. That's making us play multiple DBs because he's covering at a high level. He's improving," Kubiak said. "Again, is a guy that we all didn't know if he's going to play football this year, and he's not missing practice. He's playing in games. He's staying healthy. He's progressing. Getting better with reps."

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal