Tracking the Raiders' Most Unlikely, Yet Fascinating, Offseason Question

Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. One move of a player heading to the Las Vegas Raiders has generated a lot of smoke lately.

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek walks on the sideline before the CFP National Championship college football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL playoffs are still raging on, but for 28 teams, the offseason is already underway. While franchises are busy making staff adjustments and existing front offices are busy planning out their moves for the start of the new league year, the media surrounding the eliminated squads have gotten the rumor mill churning once again.

The Las Vegas Raiders are currently one of the teams looking to overhaul their staff. They fired Pete Carroll immediately after his 3-14 finish in the 2025 season.

Now, they're looking for his replacement. The prevailing thought is that the Raiders have already identified their new quarterback, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, whom they can acquire with the first-overall pick in the 2026 draft. However, there's been a lot of gossip that a different star gunslinger might be heading to Sin City this offseason.

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) speaks with quarterback coach Tee Martin during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Could the Raiders actually land Lamar Jackson?

Lamar Jackson to the Las Vegas Raiders isn't exactly a new rumor. Between Geno Smith's struggles, the team's lofty spot in the 2026 NFL Draft order, and the Baltimore Ravens' continued disappointments in the modern era, the two-time MVP was linked to the Raiders towards the tail end of the 2025 campaign.

Now, those rumors have picked up steam significantly, despite Las Vegas holding the No. 1 pick and Fernando Mendoza's incredible run with the Indiana Hoosiers to secure the College Football Playoff National Championship. The fact that there's a consensus top prospect in the draft would certainly make a trade for Lamar Jackson more likely.

The Ravens closed the book on the John Harbaugh chapter after they failed to make the playoffs with an 8-9 finish this past season. Baltimore electing to move on from Jackson and committing to a hard rebuild wouldn't be an absurd next step. Speaking to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator predicted that the Raiders could make the move to get Jackson from the Ravens:

"It just seems like there's been some consternation there with Lamar and the Ravens, and this would be the ultimate Mark Davis move. I'm not even convinced everybody with Vegas would be on board with it, but it would instantly solve their quarterback problems."

Lamar Jackson retweeted this. pic.twitter.com/HSexfKop3P

— The Ravens Eye (@ObservingsS) January 22, 2026

To add fuel to the flames, Jackson recently retweeted a post on X predicting that he would become a Raider in the near future. Whether that was him expressing his desires to find a new home, showing a fan some love on social media, or just trolling remains to be seen, but, unsurprisingly, such an act would cause further stir in the rumor mill.

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