Seemingly all offseason, Las Vegas Raiders guard Gabe Jackson’s name has been involved in trade rumors. The Raiders have arguably the best offensive line in football, and Jackson has been a big part of that in recent years.
The Raiders signed a number of guards this offseason though, including Eric Kush and Jordan Devey, while also drafting another guard in John Simpson out of Clemson, adding even more fuel to the trade rumors.
Jackson still has three years remaining on his contract, but the Raiders could’ve added around $9 million in cap space as well as a potential late-round draft pick if they pulled the trigger on a trade.
Ultimately no deal came to fruition though, and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock confirmed at the conclusion of the draft that Jackson will be sticking around and will once again be the team’s starting right guard in 2020, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports:
“He’s our starting right guard,” Mayock said. “We signed Kush and Devey, and those guys play all three internal positions. They’re inside guys. I think Gabe Jackson is our starting right guard. That’s exactly what it says.”
With Jackson sticking around, the Raiders not only have one of the best starting fives up front in him, Trent Brown, Rodney Hudson, Richie Incognito and Kolton Miller, but they also have tremendous depth with guys like Kush, Devey, Simpson and Denzelle Good coming off the bench.
That should allow for them to not miss a beat if an injury happens, which has plagued the Raiders time and time again in recent years. With all of their additions in free agency and the draft, the Raiders should be able to improve on their 7-9 season in 2019 and challenge for an AFC playoff spot in 2020.
