Lillard Urges Raiders to Trade for Shedeur Sanders

The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-4 and facing intensified calls for a quarterback change as Geno Smith has struggled this season, throwing a league-high nine interceptions despite a $75 million extension. After a 40-6 loss to the Colts, NBA star and Raiders superfan Damian Lillard publicly urged the team to trade for Cleveland rookie QB Shedeur Sanders while defending Smith as “not washed” but turnover-prone. Sanders, a fifth-round pick who is currently the Browns’ third-string quarterback, has become trade speculation as Cleveland keeps him off the field. The Browns started rookie Dillon Gabriel in Week 5; Gabriel completed 19-of-33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 loss to the Vikings, further clouding Sanders’s future in Cleveland. Reports note the Raiders passed on Sanders multiple times in the 2025 draft, and it remains unclear whether Cleveland will move him or whether Las Vegas would pursue a developmental option before the trade deadline.