HENDERSON, Nev.—Sitting at 4-5, the Las Vegas Raiders are hosting the Seattle Seahawks (5-4) on Sunday.

But the process of getting here has been fascinating. I reached out to some NFL executives to assess the facts and fiction of the NFL trade deadline, breaking down specifically what the Raiders did and didn’t do, the winners and losers, and separating fact from fiction.

The NFL Trade Deadline

To those not familiar with all the maneuvering around Tuesday’s trade deadline, many would think the Raiders made one move in trading Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings and promoting Fernando Mendoza to QB1.

That is far from what actually happened.

The decision to promote the 2026 NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick and the young man that NFL executives ranked as the best QB prospect of the last four NFL Drafts had multiple moving parts.

Spytek Fleeced?

A narrative quickly emerged that a true QB1, which Cousins is, was worth more. Some tried to stir the pot for social media clicks; the reality didn't match the narrative.

According to one executive very familiar with the QB market, “That is ridiculous. The Raiders wanted more, of course, they weren’t going to give him away, but let’s get our feet in reality. He is 38, a 15-year veteran, and the only team would be an instant contender. Everyone else wants a kid. Had another contender opened up, then the price would have. Supply and demand.”

Yet another executive was even more direct: “Spy (John Spytek) didn’t have to move him, and the Vikings needed him. This move says more about Fernando Mendoza than anyone else. A third has great value, for a player you don’t need anymore. Every dumb-ass fan wants a first, $1 trillion, and your first born, but in reality, with no one else competing, they both got a good deal.”

So while the social media uproar and competitive nature of the NFL were loud, they were ignorant. One of the executives said, “Three guys go in a bar, and two of them beat everybody up. The third guy spends the rest of his life saying how he and two buddies went into a bar and kicked butt. Social media warriors are the third guy.”

Well said.

LaFleur, Really?

"I was surprised [the Raiders] didn't get more for him, quite honestly. I was shocked when I saw what they traded him for."

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on the Raiders trading QB Kirk Cousins to the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/cQ6PK9fFxh

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 11, 2026

Packers coach Matt LaFleur, whose team is facing Cousins and the Vikings this week, was asked about the trade. But then he made this quote: "I was surprised (John Spytek and the Raiders) didn't get more for him, quite honestly. I was shocked when I saw what they traded him for."

That surprised me, because at the conclusion of last year, many were calling for him to lose his job for performance, and many floated the rising star Kubiak as a replacement.

NFL executives were quick to pounce.

One of the executives quoted above said, "Matt’s just bitter—after all the uproar from Packers fans last year, a lot of people actually wondered if Klint, or even his little brother Mike would’ve been an upgrade. I’m sure Matt’s still stewing over the Raiders picking Klint over Mike, leaving Mike to twiddle his thumbs while the Cardinals were busy chasing Klint. Talk about a lot of sour milk—maybe Matt should try something a little less bitter."

Another one was very fired up. That NFL executive (not previously quoted) wanted only to comment on this, said laughingly, “Are you kidding me, Matt LaFleur? The guy who struggles with big-picture head coaching duties? The guy who has major issues holding underperforming assistant coaches accountable or even instilling discipline."

"Let’s talk about the recurring issues: costly penalties, conservative play-calling when protecting a lead, and the elephant in the room of not getting his teams over the hump in non-conference playoff games. That was gamesmanship from someone without a seat at the f—-ing table.”

Mike LaFleur is a well-respected coach. But I wrote during the coaching carousel that the reason the Arizona Cardinals took so long to hire a coach was their pursuit of Kubiak. I have no idea if Matt’s comments came from bitterness about that. I do know they are close, and whether real or implied, many around the NFL saw it that way, as you can tell.

Kubiak Not on Board?

During the John Spytek press conference, Klint Kubiak sat and answered questions directed at him. While sitting with his boss, Kubiak listened.

Some took his demeanor as anger about the trade; again, this is where people need to show some intelligence about who they listen to.

I know Klint Kubiak, I respect him, and I can tell you that I genuinely know that he was on board. He, like myself, has a relationship with Cousins. Neither of us wanted to see him leave, from a human perspective, but I jokingly said last week that if the Raiders were offered a third and I were the GM, I would pack his proverbial U-Haul.

I have told you for months that Kubiak is not a liar. I stand by that. You might not like every decision he makes, but as a man and a human being, he is as genuine as they come.

His demeanor at that press conference was his demeanor when the lights are on. I can tell you that he is warm, kind, and cares about people. He listens to everything, processes everything, and then speaks.

What you saw at the press conference was a man who, I believe, was thinking, “Why am I here? I could be watching more film, designing a new play, and talking with coaches and players.”

Don’t let bloviating, self-aggrandizing individuals make fodder for their clicks at your expense.

Kubiak didn’t mince words explaining what the transition process will be like. “I anticipate it being a transition. We’re going to find out together. But we have spent a lot of time on the practice field together, obviously a lot of time away from the cameras of game day. So, he has plenty of reps with his teammates, handing it off, throwing it to the eligible, and being a leader in the locker room. So, he’s got reps with these guys and now he just gets to go do it in a game environment.”

Other Players

I know for a fact that the Raiders had interest from other teams in certain players, and I also know that other players some thought they had interest in did not. I also know there were players the Raiders had interest in, but the cost was not one they were willing to pay.

How do I know this? Well, the first way is from Spytek himself.

“We got a lot of calls on a lot of our players. There’s a lot of interest in our players, but again, we’re always going to make the best decision for the Raiders going forward, and that’s what we did today. And we say no a lot more than we say yes.”

I also know what people around the NFL were saying.

I had more than one NFL executive ask me about a player and his demeanor. They don’t ask me about play; the film tells them that. But it is not uncommon at all to ask about what a guy is like with his teammates, or how he takes coaching, or deals with adversity, or media.

Several players on this roster are ones other teams wanted. There are some that they didn’t. Same with the Raiders and other teams.

The biggest point here is simple.

Spytek didn’t quit on the season, nor did Kubiak or Brady. Teams wanted Crosby; they craved him, and while I do believe there was a price at which he could have been obtained, according to one NFL executive, “Spy set that price tag so high that you had to be in f---ing love.”

The Raiders had some players I don't believe will be here long-term. They didn’t move them because the return was not greater than their potential contribution this year.

One person in the building told me, “John and Klint were adamant that they would not, and were not giving up on 2026. Not waving the white flag, but by moving Kirk they were also saying they had eyes on the future.”

Something Spytek emphasized: “…This is for Raider Nation and for this entire building; this in no way signifies that we are punting on this season or looking forward to 2027. That is not the intention of this.”

Fact From Fiction

The reality is that the Raiders stayed the disciplined course they set late last year. Would they have loved to add more players? Of course. Were there some guys that they would have liked to move? Yes, but at the end of the day, they made the move that was best for the team and did nothing that wasn’t purposeful.

The Raiders are staying the course; they are doing things the right way. The plan is on track. 11 months into this route, I continue to report that they're doing things the right way.

That was the biggest winner for the Raider Nation from the NFL trade deadline.

Both executives thought the Raiders had a good deadline. One said, “I think Tom (Brady), John, and Klint being on the same page is not what people are used to in Oakland (Las Vegas), and they proved it with the trade deadline. They did a great job, it is just hard for people to understand that when it looks like you didn’t do much.”

The other said, “I learned from some of the best, and one thing I learned is that the best deals sometimes just don’t get done. You have to know when you just can’t. I don’t think, in the past the Raiders thought that way, and you have seen that. Not anymore. They did the best they could, with what they had, and were smart. Good day for them.”