On Paper, the Raiders Make Sense for This Veteran

The Las Vegas Raiders added to their group of wide receivers earlier this offseason, but the unit could use more help.

Las Vegas used two draft picks on wide receivers and have Jakobi Meyers returning this upcoming season. Still, Las Vegas needs more.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently listed several teams that could be a fit for McLaurin. On paper, the Raiders make sense for several reasons. Las Vegas has the money and could use additional help at wide receiver.

"Are the Raiders one wideout away from contending? No, probably not. But when you turn the keys over to a 34-year-old quarterback (Geno Smith) and 73-year-old coach (Pete Carroll), you're clearly interested in making the most of 2025. And they could use a pass-catching complement for star tight end Brock Bowers. Better yet, they have money to offer McLaurin, boasting $31 million in remaining salary cap space, plus a whopping $90 million in 2026," Benjamin said.

Although McLaurin makes sense for the Raiders for various reasons, the Raiders have expressed confidence in their talented, but relatively unproven group of wide receivers. The Raiders drafted wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton in this year's NFL Draft.

Following Organized Team Activities, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly noted how well Thornton handled the offseason.

"They're learning, and I think Dont'e is unique in terms of he's just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3. There's not a lot of humans on this planet that do that. And I think if you had a draw up an outside receiver, you would pick that type of body type, someone that's got length, someone that's got a huge catch radius, but also has speed. Sometimes you can get a big guy like that, but he can't really run, so they can stay with him," Kelly said.

"So, you add that speed element to him, his ability to sink his hips, his ability to get in and out of cuts. But for all of those guys, they're all learning a new system. So, some of them came from - I think Ashton was probably fortunate coming from Dirk [Koetter]'s system at Boise, because it's a little bit more pro-friendly.

"Some other guys are playing up tempo, throwing the ball all over one word calls and going, and so everybody's on a different level when they come in, and it's just a matter of them getting acclimated. And Chris Beatty is doing a great job with those guys, but they've both shown that they're good players, and we'll continue to see how they go."

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