So far to begin the 2025 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders have not played as well as they had hoped. Under first-year head coach Pete Carroll, they have been competitive, but still hold a 1-3 record through the first four weeks.
While there are reasons to be optimistic about the future, there are still quite a few areas that badly need help.
One of those areas comes at the cornerback position. In order for the Raiders to become a serious contender in the AFC, they will need to upgrade that position at some point in time. There could be an opportunity to do just that before the trade deadline.
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Keeping that in mind, Las Vegas has been linked as a potential trade suitor for a very intriguing dynamic defensive back.
Tim Weaver of Seattle Seahawks on SI has suggested that the Raiders could make sense as a potential trade destination for Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.
His suggestion comes on the heels of a report from longtime NFL insider Ian Rapoport, who reported that teams around the NFL are monitoring Woolen as a potential trade candidate this year.
“The most obvious destination would be Vegas, where former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll now resides,” Weaver wrote. “Carroll is the one who picked Woolen in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft, which seemed like an all-time steal at the end of his rookie season. While Woolen has dropped off since, the Raiders are pretty weak at cornerback and need all the help they can get in a brutal AFC West race.”
Woolen would be a huge pickup for Las Vegas. He would immediately give the Raiders a new No. 1 cornerback and a big-time playmaker in the secondary.
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Throughout his first 52 career NFL games, Woolen has racked up 176 total tackles to go along with a forced fumble, four fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, a defensive touchdown, and 42 defended passes. Those numbers show why Las Vegas would have to be interested in acquiring him.
Add in the fact that Woolen is only 26 years old and things get even more interesting. Not only would the Raiders be getting a dynamic playmaker, they would be acquiring a player who could become a cornerstone for their defense long-term.
Expect to continue hearing rumors about Woolen’s future. It’s possible that Seattle will have no interest in trading him, but if he is placed on the trade block Las Vegas should be one of the teams calling with interest.
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