Getty JuJu Smith-Schuster with Diontae Johnson.
The Las Vegas Raiders were a playoff team in 2021 but they still have some roster issues to sort out before they can realistically compete for a Super Bowl. One of the biggest needs the team has heading into the offseason is wide receiver. While Hunter Renfrow is a great slot receiver and Bryan Edwards has shown flashes of potential, Las Vegas needs a No. 1 option.
There are pricey free agent targets like Davante Adams or Chris Godwin but the Raiders may want to use their money elsewhere. Should the team look to sign a cheaper option, there will still be some fits in free agency. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster could be a strong option:
The Las Vegas Raiders might be the perfect landing spot for Smith-Schuster. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Derek Carr, they were a playoff team this past season, and they have enough cap room ($21.4 million) to make Smith-Schuster a fair offer.
The Raiders have great targets in Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller. However, they could use another receiver with breakaway ability like Smith-Schuster to pair with that trio and Carr.
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Smith-Schuster Isn’t a No. 1 WR
After Smith-Schuster’s second season in the NFL when he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards, it looked like he was going to be a superstar wide receiver. Since that season in 2018, he hasn’t had more than 831 yards in three seasons. It’s possible that he can still be a star with a better quarterback than Ben Roethlisberger as the future Hall of Famer was a shell of himself in recent years.
Smith-Schuster could only get a one-year contract worth $8 million when he was in free agency last offseason. In a 2021 season derailed by injuries, the wide receiver only had 15 catches for 129 yards. It’s hard to imagine that his value has gone up at all after this past season. If the Raiders could get him for a contract in the two-year, $15 million range, that could be a good deal. He’s only 25-years-old and could return to 2018 form under an offensive-minded coach in Josh McDaniels.
Raiders Would Still Need a No. 1
Smith-Schuster could be a good pickup at the right price but he’s still not a true No. 1 wide receiver. Even when he was having great years in Pittsburgh, he was still No. 2 behind Antonio Brown. If the Raiders don’t plan to spend money on a big name and choose to give a reasonable contract to a player like Smith-Schuster, the chances of them taking a wide receiver early in the draft increases.
A passing game that includes a first or second-round pick rookie wide receiver, Smith-Schuster, Renfrow and Waller could be absolutely dynamic. It would easily be the most exciting weapons Derek Carr has got to work with. That might be an even smarter move than giving $30 million a year to Adams. While it would be exciting for the Raiders to sign a proven difference-maker at wide receiver this offseason, there are plenty of options for the team to improve the position group.
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