Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek and Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta likely aren’t on the best of terms right now after the latter pulled out of the blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade. That decision threw a wrench in the Raiders’ offseason plans.
While Las Vegas seems happy to have Crosby back in the building, the Ravens tanked any trade value he had before they backed out. There are only 32 teams, so it’s hard to imagine Spytek would swear off ever dealing with Baltimore again, but it’s really difficult to see the two teams working together over the course of the next year.
However, crazier things have happened in the NFL. The Ravens need a center after losing Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders in free agency. Sports Illustrated’s Jason La Canfora floated the idea of Las Vegas trading Jordan Meredith to the Ravens.
“After the fall-out from the collapsed Maxx Crosby trade with the Ravens – HYPER MATH – it’s hard to imagine these teams collaborating on another deal, even one as nominal as this would be,” La Canfora wrote. “But Meredith lost his job to Linderbaum in Vegas. Meredith played over 500 snaps at center last season on a horrible Raiders line and ranked 32nd of 40 centers per PFF. He has 20 career starts and was first signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021.”
Meredith Likley Doesn’t Have Much Trade Value
The Ravens do need a center, but Meredith isn’t a player they should target. He proved in 2024 that he can be a really solid guard, but he didn’t play much center prior to last season.
The Raiders had a misguided idea that he’d be able to thrive at the position. As La Canfora noted, that didn’t happen, and he was one of the worst centers in the NFL.
The Raiders are starting Linderbaum at center, but Meredith could be in the mix for one of the starting guard spots. He’s not valuable at center, but he could be valuable at guard. Unless the Ravens are willing to pay up, the Raiders aren’t going to trade a possible starting guard to Baltimore.
Meredith Named Offseason Loser
Former head coach Pete Carroll and the Raiders’ coaching staff last year didn’t do Meredith any favors. He appeared to be an ascending guard, but they decided to play him out of position.
That likely tanked his stock going forward. The Athletic’s Sam Warren believes that Meredith is one of the biggest losers of the offseason for the Raiders.
“The fifth-year lineman provides interior versatility for the Raiders, as he can play both guard spots and center,” Warren wrote. “But the Raiders are still invested in Jackson Powers-Johnson inside and they added Spencer Burford, a guard with experience playing for Kubiak in San Francisco — who’s flexibility could be valuable as a depth piece. Las Vegas also drafted Trey Zuhn III, who can play all five positions up front, in the third-round. Zuhn’s addition combined with 2025 third-round pick Caleb Rogers returning could push Meredith further down the depth chart, if not off the roster at some point.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Insider Floats Surprising Raiders Trade That Sends 20-Game Starter to Ravens appeared first on HEAVY.