If compelling offers arrive for Kirk Cousins or Maxx Crosby before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, the Raiders have to give them serious consideration.
And there is a growing sense within NFL circles that the Raiders would be open to taking those calls.
That does not mean either player is being shopped or that a trade is inevitable. But a willingness to listen is the right starting point for a franchise that needs to be honest about where it stands, and what will move it forward.
Sentiment cannot make the decision. Neither can a record that keeps them mathematically connected to the playoff race while their performance suggests they are nowhere near ready to do anything meaningful in it.
Start with Cousins, whose resurgence creates an opportunity to improve the future in two ways: acquire draft capital and clear the way for Fernando Mendoza to begin his education as a starting quarterback.
That is a compelling combination for a team still building its foundation.
Cousins leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes. After two seasons in Atlanta following his Achilles injury in Minnesota, he has re-established himself as a legitimate starter.
The Raiders should explore what that means to teams with stronger rosters and more immediate championship ambitions.
Minnesota is an obvious place to start.
The Vikings are the NFL’s lone undefeated team, but their 6-0 record rests heavily on a defense allowing a league-low 12.3 points per game. They average 20.8 points, ranking 23rd.
Kyler Murray deserves credit for helping keep them unbeaten. But the Vikings should want more from their passing game before the postseason demands it.
Cousins knows Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson and the offense. Given his current production, he would offer an upgrade with considerably less adjustment than most quarterbacks would require after a November trade.
Philadelphia should be part of the discussion, too. With Jalen Hurts on injured reserve and reportedly likely to miss the rest of the season, the Eagles have an obvious reason to investigate experienced help.
Neither situation guarantees an offer. Both give the Raiders reason to pick up the phone.
And if moving Cousins means turning to Mendoza while the Raiders remain technically alive, there is precedent for looking beyond the standings.
The Giants were 5-4 in 2004 when Tom Coughlin replaced Kurt Warner with rookie Eli Manning.
They had lost three of four games, and their offense was struggling. Coughlin did not wait for mathematical elimination to make a decision with enormous implications for the franchise’s future.
The winning record did not prevent him from recognizing the need for change.
The immediate results were painful. Manning lost his first six starts before winning the finale, and the Giants finished 6-10.
The following season, they went 11-5 and won the NFC East. Manning eventually led them to two Super Bowl championships.
Those seven rookie starts did not guarantee any of that. They did give Manning experience he would otherwise have carried into his second season without.
That is the lesson for the Raiders: A difficult transition can still be a productive investment.
They cannot let the possibility of hanging around the playoff race become an excuse to postpone meaningful progress with Mendoza, especially if trading Cousins also brings something back.
Crosby presents a harder decision, but the same obligation to examine it honestly.
He is an elite player, a competitive standard-setter and someone any contender would be better for adding. The Raiders must demand a return that reflects all of that.
His contract strengthens their position. It runs through 2029, providing three additional seasons of control beyond this year at compensation that looks attractive against the escalating price of top pass rushers.
Multiple suitors could create the leverage needed to secure a substantial package.
If that package helps the Raiders address several weaknesses around their young quarterback, they have to weigh it seriously against keeping one exceptional player on an incomplete roster.
Indianapolis has already moved two longtime cornerstones, trading Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for draft picks.
The market is moving. The Raiders cannot spend the next two weeks avoiding uncomfortable questions.
There is a difference between a team that can calculate a route into the playoffs and one equipped to compete when it gets there.
If the Raiders are merely clinging to the possibility of contention, they need to pursue opportunities that improve what comes next.
That requires setting a price, taking calls and being willing to say yes.
Cousins and Crosby should not be traded simply to announce a new direction.
But if compelling offers give the Raiders a stronger path toward building a winner, passing on them to protect the appearance of contention would be a mistake.
The future deserves more than that.
