The stories of trades that never were are starting to leak out in the weeks following the 2020 NFL Draft. One such anecdote comes from Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers attempted trading with the Las Vegas Raiders for the No. 12 pick overall.
According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht offered the Raiders a package of picks to jump just two spots in Round 1.
“Licht takes a moment.,” King wrote. “Raiders on the clock. Should he up the offer? Yes. He will. He calls Mayock and offers three, five and six while getting a three back. ‘Okay. Okay. Thanks Mike.’ Licht hangs up and tells the Cisco group: “Doesn’t matter what we offer. They’re staying.”
It makes sense that the Raiders declined the trade. Had Licht allowed Vegas to keep their third-round pick while gaining an additional one, a trade would’ve been more likely.
The Buccaneers reportedly had Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in their crosshairs when they made the offer and they were fortunate that he slid to No. 14 anyway. They managed to get their guy while not giving up any picks in the process.
The Raiders, meanwhile, had their heart set on Henry Ruggs III, who ultimately was the pick at No. 12. He’ll add a downfield speed dimension to a passing attack that’s sorely missing one. Whether or not quarterback Derek Carr will be aggressive enough in 2020 to take advantage of Ruggs’ skill set is going to be fun to monitor.
