The Las Vegas Raiders were recently at the center of a rumor swirling on Twitter regarding Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. It’s juicy hearsay for sure, especially when you consider that every offseason it seems Jon Gruden’s squad is linked to big-name players.
Last month, the team was connected to JuJu Smith-Schuster after he dropped Las Vegas as a possible destination this offseason.
Nevertheless, whether these rumors are unfounded or not, it raises a potential red flag. Particularly, Gruden’s history with big-name wide receivers and more often than not, the bigger the personality, the bigger the fallout.
Do the Raiders even need a wide receiver?
The Silver and Black have several matters at hand with the wide receiver position. First off, the situation with Nelson Agholor has to be addressed. Other than Darren Waller, he was the team’s top receiver but there’s a chance he might not be back. Las Vegas could also part ways with Tyrell Williams to give themselves some financial flexibility.
Let’s say the organization loses both receivers, the wide receiver corps is left devoid of a true number one receiver. Henry Ruggs III will look to have a bigger impact in his sophomore campaign but still has developing to do.
Bryan Edwards has to prove he can stay healthy and on the field. Meanwhile, the team knows what they have in Hunter Renfrow, a dependable and tough option but he’s not that ‘elite’ option.
If that’s the case, then perhaps, Beckham or Smith-Schuster could make sense. The question is, can Gruden handle players that have been labeled ‘divas’ due to their antics and at times, outrageous behavior?
Is Gruden out of touch or what’s the issue?
Recently, the Raiders have had issues with what you would call ‘star receivers’, and no surprise, it’s happened since Gruden’s return. First, there was Amari Cooper. Upon Gruden’s arrival, it was clear that the organization was going to rebuild through the NFL draft.
After all, they traded away defensive superstar, Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears for a bevy of picks. Cooper followed suit, while there were no public confrontations, the wide receiver didn’t mince words once he was a Dallas Cowboy.
"“I just always felt like I wasn’t really being used how I felt like I would have used me if I was the coach. So I looked at it from that perspective, not from the perspective that, ‘Oh, they don’t think I’m good enough’ or I’m not good enough.”"
Maybe Gruden just simply didn’t know how to take advantage of Cooper’s skill or was it that the two just didn’t mesh. Cooper isn’t exactly remembered for his lively personality either.
Then, the Raiders decided that they were missing a true number one option for quarterback Derek Carr. They decided to acquire Antonio Brown.
It was supposed to be something special…
It was supposed to be something special, an offense built around Brown but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. A lot of folks point to Brown’s altercation with general manager Mike Mayock when he called him a ‘cracker’ as the nail in the coffin.
Once the smoke had settled and Brown was gone, Gruden enlightened the media as to his thoughts on Brown and essentially said his antics were just too much. Whether it was the ‘thing’ with his feet, the debacle over his helmet, or the missing practices, it was just too much.
Like it or not, when it comes to great talent, there’s often some level of attitude that goes with it. Not all players can be consummate citizens and a great coach has to adapt. Not necessarily amateur antics but handling difficult personalities doesn’t seem to be one of Gruden’s strengths.
The most painful example of Gruden’s inability to deal with such personalities stems from his run in Tampa Bay.
Things got ugly for Gruden and Keyshawn Johnson
Even after arriving with Tampa Bay, and then winning the Super Bowl, the relationship between Gruden and his star receiver quickly imploded.
Keyshawn Johnson recalled much of the events back in 2011, in a piece by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Despite winning a title together, Johnson’s season the following year soured to the point of no return.
He recalled that the Gruden-led environment was so toxic and that their player-coach relationship went bad.
"“I didn’t want to be in the environment. No matter we had just won a championship, and I was playing fine the year that I got deactivated, I was doing great. In fact, we had a chance to go to the playoffs. But it was just something about the way I was being coached, talked to, dealt with. Just didn’t want to be there.”"
All things considered, there’s a good chance thing would’ve turned sour had Cooper remained with the Raiders. The same thing with Brown, these types of personalities don’t seem to mesh well with Gruden’s approach. The fact that Johnson mentioned his psyche was messed with, doesn’t bode well if the Raiders are contemplating bringing someone like Beckham.
People this offseason seem to want Carr shipped off as if he’s the problem. Perhaps, fans should be looking at the man in charge instead. The man that wanted to take things ‘back to 1998’ may be out of touch in dealing with players. Especially with reports of there being no leadership or accountability in the locker room. For someone who’s labeled a ‘player’s coach,’ it seems Gruden can only handle his ‘type’ of players.