The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL last season. Still, somehow, tight end Brock Bowers had a first-team All-Pro campaign, and veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers recorded a career-best 1,027 receiving yards.
When it was announced that the team was acquiring quarterback Geno Smith this offseason, many felt that the offense was instantly elevated. Others recognized, however, that it could still be inhibited by other pass-catchers not stepping up around these two budding stars.
New general manager John Spytek aggressively pursued wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking TCU's Jack Bech, Tennessee's Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Montana State's Tommy Mellott. While both Thornton and Mellott had signed their deals before training camp, Bech had still not put pen to paper.
Raiders finally sign second-round wideout Jack Bech to rookie deal
While this is not technically a holdout, there was a snag in the negotiation process with Bech because fellow second-rounders Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger got fully guaranteed deals. Before this week, only those two had signed their contracts among those picked in the second round.
However, the dam began to break as teams were reporting for camp. The 49ers, Broncos, Chargers, Bears and Ravens all reportedly signed their second-round picks, and finally, the Raiders have signed theirs.
On Thursday evening, Bech finally inked his rookie contract, which is a four-year deal, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. He and his fellow Raiders rookies reported to training camp on Thursday, and the two sides seemingly got the deal done upon his arrival.
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Now, Bech will not miss any preseason practices, which will be pivotal for the young wideout. While his roster spot is secured, his snap count and role could wildly fluctuate depending on how he performs throughout training camp.
Bech is not only competing with Thornton and Mellott for playing time, but he has to beat out veterans like Tre Tucker, Collin Johnson and Kyle Phillips if he wants to be a key part of the recipe for Chip Kelly's offense.
Ultimately, things resolved exactly how Raider Nation expected they would. Bech wants to be a Raider, Pete Carroll wants him at practice, and Spytek is not afraid to pay players that he believes in. Now, it will be less than a month until fans watch Bech play his first game in the Silver and Black.