The buzz around the NFL continues to be that the Tennessee Titans want to trade the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft if they can get a reasonable deal.
A deal with the New York Giants has always made the most sense, but NFL insider Tony Pauline recently name-drops the Las Vegas Raiders as a team actively pushing to make a move to get their quarterback. According to Pauline, "The overall belief from people in the league is that the Las Vegas Raiders will be one of the teams actively attempting to trade up with the hopes of selecting quarterback Cam Ward."
Also according to Pauline, if any team believes in Ward as their next quarterback, they will have to trade up with the Titans because the Cleveland Browns "would jump at the chance to take the Hurricanes quarterback when they are called to the clock with the second selection."
While he doesn't say it directly, Pauline notes that in the past, trades at or near the top of the draft have picked up serious momentum during the NFL combine. In 2023, the Chicago Bears traded down with the Carolina Panthers less than a week after the combine, and in 2018, the Indianapolis Colts traded down with the New York Jets less than two weeks after the event.
Connecting all of those dots paints an interesting picture as the 2025 combine began earlier this week. Teams could be discussing blockbuster moves in Indianapolis as we speak. If the Browns are in love with Ward, the Titans possess all the leverage in trade negotiations with any team that also wants to target him.
The Raiders could be the most aggressive team right now. If negotiations occur, teams like the Giants, Jets, and even the Browns have to make sure that they are doing everything possible to get their guy if they also believe in Ward. So while the Raiders might be the first team to call the Titans with a real offer, as soon as they make that call, every other team has to take notice.
The big advantage that the Raiders possess is that they have the Jets' third-round selection from this season. That gives them the option of trading three top-100 selections in 2024 without completely leaving their cupboard bare.
Trading out of the top three isn't ideal considering that there are only two blue-chip players in this draft class, but this is about the big picture and if the Titans believe that they can use those picks to start to build the foundation of this roster, then they have to strongly consider it.