One Sunday in New Jersey flipped the whole trade deadline conversation in Las Vegas. The Raiders beat the New York Jets 38-33 on November 1 to end a four-game losing streak and a winless October, and they woke up Monday at 4-4, one game out of a Wild Card playoff spot. A team in that spot does not hold a fire sale, and according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Raiders have no plans to trade away their top players before the deadline.
That is a real change of posture. It is the first time since 2021 that the Raiders are a .500 team in the month of November, and a seller's market only makes sense when the season is lost. This one is not lost yet.
What Schefter Reported, and Why It Holds Up
Schefter laid out the team's thinking on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday: "They’re not looking to trade their players. They feel like they’re building something. They’re winning," Schefter said. "They like this; they’re not looking to get rid of these guys."
Cousins and Crosby Are the Reasons Why
The two names drawing the most outside interest show why. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes against the Jets, two of them to Brock Bowers, and added his first rushing touchdown of the season. Schefter pointed to that production directly: "Kirk Cousins is leading the NFL in touchdown passes. You’re not going to trade that guy," he said, adding that Cousins is a great example for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, who is developing behind him.
Head coach Klint Kubiak praised the same steadiness after the Jets win: "That’s who he’s been all year," Kubiak said. "He’s been a leader. He’s been a playmaker for us."
On defense, edge rusher Maxx Crosby drew the loudest rumors during the losing streak. Reporting on Sunday said Crosby does not want to be dealt from Las Vegas, and Schefter later reported, citing league sources, that the Raiders had not engaged in any conversations about trading him.
The Week That Decides Whether Standing Pat Was Right
Here is the part most deadline coverage misses: the Raiders get one more game before the clock runs out, and it is a hard one. The deadline lands after Week 9, so Sunday's result is the last piece of evidence the front office gets.
| Date | What happens | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | Raiders at San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium | A win moves Las Vegas to 5-4, above .500 for the playoff push |
| Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. PT | NFL trade deadline (4 p.m. ET) | All trading ends for 2026 once this passes |
What Raiders fans should actually watch this week:
- Watch the injury and practice reports, not the rumor feeds. Schefter's reporting says the core is staying, so a quiet week is the expected outcome, not a letdown.
- Watch Sunday in Santa Clara. At 4-4 and one game out of a Wild Card spot, a road win over San Francisco strengthens the case for keeping this group together into December.
- Mark 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday. If nothing has been announced by the deadline, that silence is the plan working exactly as reported.
Las Vegas spent October looking like a seller. One win, a veteran quarterback playing at a league-leading level, and a defense anchored by a star who wants to stay changed the math. The Raiders are standing pat, and for once, standing pat is the aggressive move.
