ESPN thinks Raiders should steal key player from Chiefs this offseason
ESPN thinks the Las Vegas Raiders should swipe a key player from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason
ESPN thinks the Las Vegas Raiders should steal a key player from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.
The national sports media outlet recently pointed out one player that each team "must sign" during free agency.
And their choice for the Raiders is a player that just completed his first season with the Chiefs.
ESPN thinks Las Vegas should target wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency.
From ESPN: The Raiders need a wide receiver to play opposite Davante Adams, but they're going to have a bit of a challenge finding the right one. The trick is not to sign a receiver who duplicates the skill set of slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. Most of this year's top free-agent wideouts are primarily slot receivers, including Jakobi Meyers, Robert Woods and Parris Campbell. Smith-Schuster is often thought of as a slot receiver too, but he lines up wide more often than you think. Last season, 42% of his targets came when he was lined up wide before the snap. Smith-Schuster's ups and downs in Pittsburgh showed that he flourishes when he can be a No. 2 instead of a No. 1, and he would be a strong complement to Adams and Renfrow.
Smith-Schuster, a California native, would certainly be a good fit for the Raiders. As ESPN notes, he would be a great complement to Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow.
The only problem is that Kansas City reportedly wants to bring Smith-Schuster back in 2023.
And with the Chiefs likely losing Mecole Hardman in free agency, it seems likely they'll make re-signing Smith-Schuster a priority.
Neither team wants to get into a bidding war for a wide receiver, so this might be a case of which team blinks first and makes a big offer.
After signing a one-year deal with Kansas City a year ago, Smith-Schuster will probably be looking for a multi-year deal. That's something the Raiders need to keep in mind if they're going to make a serious run at the former USC wide receiver.
