One team immediately popped up as a possibility when Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey requested a trade earlier this week.
No, not the New England Patriots. The educated guess had to be that Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders would be interested in the boisterous Pro Bowler.
Apparently, that’s now come to fruition.
“League sources have said that the Raiders are one of the teams that have checked in with the Jaguars,” Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported Tuesday.
One of the few teams that could potentially meet Jacksonville’s reported asking price of two first-round picks, the Raiders make sense for a number of reasons.
They have not shied away from malcontents in the past. While the Antonio Brown trade backfired in grand fashion, Oakland is not going to ignore talent simply because it brings some baggage. Ramsey himself has noted he’d like to play for the Raiders in Vegas.
The Raiders also have two first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft stemming from the Khalil Mack trade. They could move at least one pick this coming April and a 2021 first-round pick, and the draft pick cupboard wouldn’t necessarily be empty. Most teams can’t say that.
It’s something to keep an eye on as the process plays out.