The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping to have found a stabilizing force with the hiring of head coach Klint Kubiak. The team has cycled through many different head coaches over the past few years, which has led to a seemingly never-ending rebuild.
This can wear on great players. Star defensive end Maxx Crosby previously requested a trade before walking that back. The only other player on the roster with comparable value is star tight end Brock Bowers.
He’s only heading into Year 3, but he’s already arguably the best tight end in the NFL. From the Raiders’ perspective, they wouldn’t even think about trading a 23-year-old superstar who should be a big part of the rebuild. However, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio recently floated the idea that Bowers may have requested a trade if the team didn’t land Kubiak.
Now Daire Carragher of Pro Football Focus listed Bowers as a possible future trade candidate.
“The obvious Raiders trade candidate here is Maxx Crosby, but Bowers presents a more interesting thought experiment,” Carragher wrote. “He already has a compelling case as the best tight end in football, with a 90.0 PFF receiving grade since joining the league. Likewise, Bowers ranks second among tight ends in yards, first downs and contested catches over the last two years despite missing a month of action in 2025.
“But team success has remained elusive. Bowers went 42-2 during his collegiate career at Georgia and helped lead the Bulldogs to two national championships. Since arriving in the NFL, Bowers’ Raiders have gone 7-27. If Las Vegas fails to find sustained success with Fernando Mendoza under center and the current rebuild stalls, Bowers could find himself eager to join a more competitive situation.”
A Lot of Teams Would Be All Over Bowers
It seems random that people would start talking about a Bowers trade, but it’s possible to see tight end being unhappy if the Raiders are bad again and Kubiak doesn’t look like the guy. If he wants out, there are going to be a lot of teams across the NFL interested in his services.
“Contenders are constantly searching for game-changing weapons in the middle of the field,” Carragher wrote. “So few of the NFL’s truly elite teams have a top tight end to rely on. If Bowers ever became available, there would be no shortage of general managers prepared to make an aggressive offer.”
What Would It Take for Raiders to Consider Bowers Trade?
If a Bowers trade is ever going to happen, it’s not going to be this year. He’s too integral to what the Raiders want to do on offense.
If he continues to play like a top-three tight end, his value will only increase. The only way the Raiders would realistically consider trading him is if he asked out. Even then, it’ll be a tough sell.
That said, the team may be willing to listen if another team is willing to make a massive offer. It’s hard to imagine the Raiders even considering anything less than two first-round picks. That’s a steep price for a tight end, but Bowers is one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL.
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