Raiders need more than this proposed package to trade Jackson Powers-Johnson
The Las Vegas Raiders have had an ugly start to the 2025 NFL season and are expected to be sellers ahead of the November 4 trade deadline. While Jakobi Meyers is the player who is most likely to be moved, several other players could find themselves on a different roster this time next week.
One of those players, unfortunately, is Jackson Powers-Johnson, who has seemingly never had the support of the new coaching staff. The second-year offensive lineman was moved from center to guard during training camp and forced to compete with Alex Cappa for a starting role.
While he won the job, he's seemingly been benched multiple times, most recently in the Raiders' Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, indicating that he still has not won over the staff. While he has not had a great sophomore season by any stretch, he's still a valuable piece of the team's future.
Raiders should hesitate at moving Jackson Powers-Johnson for this price
Last week, we wrote about Powers-Johnson as a surprise trade candidate. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox corroborated this on Wednesday, listing the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams as potential landing spots, with Las Vegas getting a 4th-round pick and/or a veteran cornerback in return.
"The current Las Vegas Raiders regime just doesn't seem to like 2024 second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson," Knox wrote. "Despite being one of the nation's top centers in college and starting 14 games as a rookie, the 22-year-old was forced to earn his job during the offseason. After regaining a starting role at guard, though, he was benched during a Week 7 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While his early 2025 campaign hasn't made a positive impact on Powers-Johnson's trade value, his upside is tremendous. ... The Raiders were on bye in Week 8 and may believe they can turn things around over the second half of the season. They don't believe in Powers-Johnson, though, and should move him to a team that does."
Powers-Johnson's current trade value is likely at its lowest point since he got into the NFL. But he's made five starts this season and posted a 63.7 overall Pro Football Focus grade that ranks 31st out of 82 qualifying guards, meaning he is still in the upper half of players at his position.
While he has thrived in run blocking with a 72.0 grade that ranks 15th, he has struggled tremendously with pass blocking, as his 47.4 grade ranks just 69th. Powers-Johnson has given up two sacks, two quarterback hits and four hurries in just five games, which is a bit concerning.
Although the coaching staff does not seem to value the second-year lineman, it is far too early in his career to give up on him, particularly for a Day 3 pick. The Raiders don't have many young players who have proven they can contribute in the NFL, and shouldn't be moving on from those who have.
While selling off pieces ahead of the trade deadline makes plenty of sense, Las Vegas should focus on moving veterans who may not be around when the team finally turns the corner. Powers-Johnson should be allowed to work through his often overblown struggles.
If the staff still isn't sold on his future with the team after the next 10 games, there is an argument that Powers-Johnson could be moved this offseason. But, again, the team would need more than a Day 3 pick or a veteran cornerback, the latter of which they can acquire without dealing their starting guard.
Powers-Johnson is still just 21 games into his career, and growing pains are expected for young players. Furthermore, Powers-Johnson has two years remaining on his rookie contract, and he was on the PFWA All-Rookie team last season, so there should be no rush to move him.
If he rebounds and the new regime still isn't a fan of his for some reason, then the package they could get after the season would presumably be better than anything they will be offered in the upcoming week anyway.
Ex-Celtics Guard Hires Trump Lawyer to Fight NBA Gambling Charges
Former Boston Celtics guard and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has hired one of the nation’s most prominent defense attorneys to battle federal gambling charges that have rocked the NBA — and tied three former Celtics to the league’s biggest integrity scandal in years.
According to The Athletic, Billups has hired Marc Mukasey, a high-profile trial lawyer who has represented former U.S. President Donald Trump, to handle his defense against wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Billups Turns to Prominent White-Collar Defense Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic report, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Now, Mukasey is representing Billups — the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach — as he faces potentially career-defining criminal charges.
Federal Allegations and Celtics Connection
In the indictments reviewed by
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds. His former attorney, Chris Heywood, said last week that Billups “would not jeopardize” his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and freedom.
Two other former Celtics — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones — are also implicated in the widening probe. Prosecutors allege Rozier shared private injury information with a friend who then profited from insider bets, while Jones allegedly helped facilitate the illegal gambling ring.
From Boston Lottery Pick to Hall of Fame Player
Getty 25 Jun 1997: Guard Chauncey Billups of the Boston Celtics shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billups began his NBA career in Boston, drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1997, before going on to win a championship with the Detroit Pistons and earning the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2024, a crowning moment for one of the league’s most respected figures.
Rozier, beloved by Celtics fans from 2015 to 2019, helped Boston reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, while Jones had a brief stint with the franchise during the 1998–99 season. Their shared ties to Boston have given the scandal an unsettling familiarity for local fans.
Badminton Betting Ban Mirrors NBA Investigation
The NBA’s ongoing gambling scandal comes as other global sports face similar integrity challenges. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned former Danish player and coach Joachim Persson for four years after he was filmed placing live bets courtside during a 2023 Japan Open match, according to
The similarities between the two cases are striking. Both involve allegations that individuals used insider access and confidential information for betting purposes. The incidents highlight the mounting challenge of maintaining sports integrity amid the rapid expansion of legalized gambling worldwide.
A Hall-of-Fame Legacy Under Scrutiny
For Billups, who spent part of his formative NBA years in Boston, the charges threaten to overshadow a Hall-of-Fame career defined by leadership and professionalism.
If convicted, Billups could face up to 20 years in prison per count, along with the potential loss of his coaching position and damage to his legacy.
The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation broadens — with Boston fans watching uneasily as three familiar names fight to protect their reputations.
