Oakland Raiders: 3 trades that could send Ezekiel Elliott to Oakland

Trading for Ezekiel Elliott comes with consequences

First thing’s first: a disclaimer. The whole premise of this shouldn’t even be considered if we don’t take into account a couple of things. First of all, the chances of Ezekiel Elliott being moved are probably less than one percent.

While it can be fun to think about putting any top-tier player on a variety of different teams, the reality is that those moves don’t happen very often. They might happen in video games or in fantasy football leagues, but when it comes to the NFL, it’s not even close to likely.

There are all kinds of reasons why the Raiders shouldn’t consider this trade even before taking a look at what it might cost them.

The first major concern is that running backs — and players in general — have rapidly depreciating value. The Raiders have in-house candidates that could end up being decently productive and will work at a fraction of the cost that Elliott will.

It’s also still debatable if the position of running back is really a team-altering area. Sure, an upgrade to any position is welcomed, but would it really improve the Raiders — or any team for that matter — from where they currently are to a playoff-caliber team?

Realistically, probably not.

And then there are the off-the-field issues that are bound to follow the Raiders as they pack their bags and head to Las Vegas next year. Elliott is no stranger to unwanted extracurriculars, and the apparent hotbed of activity that Vegas might provide could be a dangerous mix.

Elliott served a six-game suspension in 2017 for domestic violence. He’s appeared in a number of police reports since 2014. He most recently had battery charges against him dropped from an incident in — you guessed it — Las Vegas.

The last reason — and likely the biggest reason why the Raiders shouldn’t go through with even picking up the phone and calling Jerry Jones’ number — is that it’ll take a king’s ransom to make them budge.

Jones has proven to be stubbornly purporting the notion that players should honor their contracts even if they’re making relative pennies on the dollar while being beaten down by football. He’s also said that he doesn’t mind Elliott taking time off this season to be well-rested come playoffs.

Alright, Jerry.

But no matter how bitter this holdout turns out, there will always be a price that can be paid to land a player like Elliott. And maybe — just maybe — the Raiders are enamored enough by the idea of rolling out both Antonio Brown and Ezekiel Elliott on to the field in their send-off season from Oakland.

Here are three proposed trades that would have the Cowboys listening.