Ever since the Las Vegas Raiders’ previous regime and offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson started on a bad note, he’s been the subject of trade rumors.
Even with a new coaching staff, Robert Mays of The Athletic recently talked about why Powers-Johnson could be a trade candidate. “I’d at least call about Jackson Powers-Johnson,” Mays said. “he’s had just like a weird stretch where he’s bounced around positions. It’s a new coaching staff. So that’s another one where I would be like, ‘What do we think there?’ New front office.”
Well, a lot of fans are not in favor of trading Powers-Johnson away, which also includes former Raiders offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy.
Raiders Ex-Player Doesn’t Hold Back on Jackson Powers-Johnson Trade Rumors
Speaking on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast, Kennedy didn’t hold back on his thoughts on why trading away Jackson Powers-Johnson would be the wrong move.
“What are you going to get for JPJ? He’s often injured or concussed. Are you going to get a six-pack of Heineken and a pack of Trident gum? It doesn’t even make sense to even throw the word ‘trade’ out there. There’s no team that’s going to take a chance on a player who can’t stay on the field. You saw the Maxx Crosby deal fall apart because [the Ravens] had their… regrets for making a deal as big as they made it, but more importantly, there’s an unproven guy coming off of surgery. You don’t know what you have in JPJ. That’s the first point.”
Powers-Johnson, who was drafted in the second round back in 2024, appeared in 96% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps as a rookie, but only appeared in eight games the following year due to an ankle injury.
Lincoln Kennedy’s Second Point on the Trade Rumors
While the first point that Kennedy makes highlights the negative aspect, his second point sheds a more positive light on Powers-Johnson’s situation.
“Second point is stop giving away good players. Stop letting good players go. Potentially, I see what JPJ can be. He’s the most tenacious offensive lineman that we have right now… Stop giving away good players. Stop using good players to try to build for the future. The future starts right now. Find a way to get his a** on the football field, find a way to keep his a** on the football field, and let him go out there and play.”
Like Kennedy previously mentioned, one is that the Raiders likely won’t get a strong return for Powers-Johnson, and it’s not like Las Vegas has proven talent + depth at guard to make this trade sensible.
- Spencer Burford (signed this offseason)
- Atonio Mafi (appeared in three games with the Raiders in 2025)
- Trey Zuhn (rookie)
- Jordan Meredith (started at center last season, 57.7 overall PFF grade in 2025)
Other teams have shown interest in trading for Powers-Johnson in the past, with an ESPN report stating, “An executive for another NFL club said his team was interested in trading for Powers-Johnson,” but noted that Raiders general manager John Spytek knows that he has a ‘pretty young, talented interior lineman.’
Regardless of the trade rumors, it doesn’t look like Powers-Johnson will be going anywhere anytime soon.
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