Las Vegas Raiders: Why signing JuJu Smith-Schuster seems unlikely
JuJu is not a probable match for the Raiders
For starters, Smith-Schuster should draw several suitors. He’s caught 308 passes for 3,726 yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New York Jets also have an interest in him.
"“The Jets are taking a look at Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller V at the top of the market,” Fowler wrote."
If Smith-Schuster takes the biggest contract available between the Raiders and Jets, Gang Green has a massive advantage in a bidding competition. New York has almost $68 million in cap space, while the Silver and Black are currently at $18.9 million over the base salary-cap threshold.
Beyond the Jets and Raiders, the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Football Team, and Miami Dolphins all need help at wide receiver. Every one of those teams has a lot more cap space than Vegas. If Gruden wants to become a strong suitor for Smith-Schuster, he’d have to shed multiple sizable salaries before free agency, and the Raiders also have much bigger needs on defense.
Secondly, Smith-Schuster doesn’t bring the locker-room presence that the Raiders need at this time.
Last year, during a playoff race, fullback Alec Ingold candidly talked about the team’s lack of focus, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
"“There’s a level of commitment in our locker room we’re still trying to consistently find,” Ingold said."
Nothing against Smith-Schuster’s passion for entertaining his fans on TikTok, he plays hard on the field, but the Raiders need a vocal leader within the wide receiver group, especially with rookies Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards in their early stages of development.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby recounted when wideout Nelson Agholor voiced his thoughts after a loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 (h/t The Athletic’s Vic Tafur):
"It was in the heat of the moment. Nelly didn’t say ‘these guys suck,’ it was more of a ‘we’ thing and him being a leader and showing his passion for the game. He’s been on a Super Bowl team and he knows what it looks like to have a winning environment in a locker room…He was definitely calling some people out a little bit. I was happy he said something… It was a cool moment to see because Nelly doesn’t talk a ton, but when he does everybody listens."
As Crosby stated, Agholor isn’t known to be an outspoken voice, but he felt the need to speak out toward the end of a disappointing campaign. Vegas needs more of that next season and fewer potential distractions away from the field or bulletin-board material for opposing teams.
Keep in mind Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin eventually asked Smith-Schuster to stop dancing on the opponent’s field logo amid a losing streak. It became an unnecessary topic of discussion during Pittsburgh’s late-season slide: