The Raiders may be quietly exploring a move that could arguably detonate the NFL landscape. With Tom Brady’s team still searching for a true franchise quarterback and the right head coach to lead the way, there’s growing belief around the league that the front office could consider a serious conversation with Baltimore to land Lamar Jackson.

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, a trade talk between the Riders and Ravens for Lamar Jackson is a real possibility.

“In theory, the Raiders and the Ravens (or anyone else and the Ravens) could agree to the terms of a Lamar Jackson trade at any time, with the understanding that it will be finalized on March 11, the first day of the league year,” Florio said. If Brady wants to take a big swing and if Jackson is ready to take his bat and ball to a new city, it’s something to keep an eye on.”

Florio also pointed out that there’s no clear precedent for how this would play out. When Jackson was available under the non-exclusive franchise tag three years ago, no team made a serious move. That makes it hard to know how strong the market would be now. What is clear, though, is that if the Raiders want him, the price will be high.

There’s also the bigger question of whether the Baltimore Ravens would even entertain moving their franchise quarterback and whether Jackson himself would be open to starting over somewhere else. However, if that door opens, it would instantly change the gravity of the Raiders’ rebuild. A move like that could attract other top free agents to Las Vegas.

It might also give pass rusher Maxx Crosby a reason to believe the future is worth sticking around for. From a practical standpoint, it’s complicated.

Lamar Jackson still has two years left on the five-year, $260 million deal he signed in April 2023. Each of the next two seasons carries a massive $74.5 million cap hit, with another $29 million in guaranteed money due this year.

That’s a big contract to absorb.

Still, if the Raiders and Ravens found a way through the cap gymnastics, the ripple effects would be enormous. And it’s not as if everything is perfectly settled for Jackson in Baltimore right now. The Ravens missed the playoffs after Tyler Loop’s missed field goal, and head coach John Harbaugh was shown the door.

“I’m not even thinking about that right now, to be honest with you,” Lamar Jackson said after the season-ending loss to the Steelers. “I’m still caught up in what just happened. That’s not my focus right now.”

Maybe it isn’t. But with the Raiders holding the top pick and the league year approaching, it’s a situation that suddenly feels a lot more real than it did before. But the Raiders need to ask themselves, would signing a 29-year-old be better than using their pick on the best quarterback coming out of college?

Would losing Fernando Mendoza be worth it?

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and minority stakeholder Tom Brady were in the building at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night, taking in the College Football Playoff national championship. The game featured Fernando Mendoza, the consensus No. 1 prospect for the 2026 draft and the seemingly obvious pick for the Raiders.

And it’s easy to see why they’d want a closer look. Mendoza’s 2025 season was ridiculous. He won the Heisman Trophy, carried the Indiana Hoosiers to a Big Ten title, went undefeated through the regular season, and capped it all with a dominant Rose Bowl win over Alabama. He threw three touchdowns today against Alabama to win the National Championship.

He looks like a potential franchise changer. And any major decision the Raiders make at quarterback, whether it involves sticking with the draft or chasing a proven star, is going to run straight through Brady. He knows what Mendoza is capable of. He also knows exactly how rare quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson are.

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Jackson, of course, is one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks the league has ever seen. But he’s also 29, carries a massive contract, and comes with real durability questions after this past season.

He played much of the year banged up, starting with a hamstring injury in Week 4 against the Chiefs. Later, he suffered a deep-tissue back contusion after taking a knee to the lower back in Week 16 against the Patriots. He also missed multiple practices over the course of the season with toe, ankle, and knee problems.

He suited up for just 13 games and finished with 2,549 passing yards and 21 total touchdowns, well below the standard he’s set for himself. That’s what makes this such a delicate call. If Brady and the Raiders decide to swing big for Lamar Jackson, it won’t just cost money. It will almost certainly cost them the No. 1 pick. Mendoza would likely end up in Baltimore as a part of the deal.