Las Vegas Raiders need to stay away from WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Around this time of the year, we start hearing rumblings about possible destinations for NFL players. A team like the Las Vegas Raiders could use all the upgrades it can get its hands-on, but it’s best to tread carefully with a player like JuJu Smith-Schuster.

While the team did finish a disappointing 8-8 last season, there were many positives, chief among them was the passing offense.

Wide receiver Nelson Agholor revitalized his career in  Silver and Black and should be on top of the team’s priority list. Quarterback Derek Carr obviously grew to trust ‘Nelly’ last season and the results speak for themselves.

’15’ was targeted 82 times by Carr, coming down with 48 of those, and reaching the end zone eight times. Smith-Schuster was no slouch either in 2020, he nabbed 97 receptions and scoring nine touchdowns of his own.

Like Agholor, Smith-Schuster will also be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Both will also get paid nicely for their efforts, though Smith-Schuster will undoubtedly command more money. Per Spotrac, his previous contract was worth less than $5 million, so the Raiders would need to make a sizeable investment.

Raiders don’t need another headache in 2021

There’s no denying Smith-Schuster’s talent, he’s accumulated 308 catches totaling 3,726 receiving yards in just four years. He’d be an incredible deep threat for Carr and would likely take this offense to a different level considering the speed they already have in Henry Ruggs III.

It was actually Smith-Schuster that said via Twitch that he was interested in joining the Silver and Black. The question is, would Raiders brass be interested, or would they pass, all things considered?

"“Should I just stay in Pittsburgh? Packers, Raiders, Jaguars … the Jets. … There’s a lot of good places to go.”"

Let’s not forget the Raiders once invested in one of his teammates, Antonio Brown, and that didn’t go well at all. No one’s saying that Smith-Schuster would cause the same level of issues as Brown did. Rather, the team would be best served to really think hard about this one before going in all-in on a ‘diva’ if they choose to at all.

We’ve all see the level of distraction he’s brought to the Steelers, and right now, the Raiders don’t need that. Whether it’s going after fans on Instagram or biting off more than he could against the Cleveland Browns, Smith-Schuster’s talents don’t outweigh the potential distraction he would be in Las Vegas.