It cannot be understated just how much the Las Vegas Raiders' offense will need a jolt in the offseason. Obviously, inserting a viable quarterback into the lineup will be the top priority, but the team also desperately needs to bolster its offensive line and find a true No. 1 wide receiver.
After trading Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers midseason in consecutive years, Las Vegas has been without a top-flight pass-catching option alongside tight end Brock Bowers. Tre Tucker has stepped up, and while he's an above-average player, he's not at the level the Raiders currently need.
Rookies Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton have also shown some promise, but they are still far from being surefire starters. The free agent market isn't exactly set to be robust, but one intriguing option is likely to become available. Unfortunately, Las Vegas needs to show restraint and stay far away.
Raiders signing Brandon Aiyuk would cause fans to re-live Davante Adams nightmare
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been a continual problem for the Raiders' old geographic rival, is expected to be released at the end of the season, according to a report from The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Michael Silver.
"It’s now likely that the 27-year-old has played his last game with the franchise, according to numerous sources briefed on the matter. ... Aiyuk, sources say, has failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities in recent months. ... The 49ers, sources say, responded by voiding the guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026, asserting that the absences amounted to a failure to fulfill his contractual obligations. Aiyuk, according to multiple league sources, told NFL Players Association representatives that he did not want to fight the move via an official grievance. That would clear the way for his expected release at season’s end."
Obviously, Aiyuk is intriguing as a player. He recorded two straight seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards before an injury shortened his 2024 campaign. Aiyuk was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2023, as he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns in a 49ers offense with plenty of mouths to feed.
However, between what fans have seen and read about him throughout the years in San Francisco, it may be best if the Raiders simply steer clear. They've already had issues with headache receivers like Adams in recent seasons, and despite dominance on the field, it ultimately wasn't worth the trouble.
Adams was also an All-Pro for the Raiders in 2022, but his continued public meltdowns, petty comments and criticisms of the team were too much for the franchise to handle. They ended up cutting their losses and trading him after he infamously requested a trade after a win.
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49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media after this report leaked, and while he confirmed that the team did void Aiyuk's contract, he did not get into specifics about why. When it comes strictly to football, Shanahan would clearly like to have Aiyuk on the field.
But the star wide receiver's attitude and antics off the gridiron have complicated that equation. Shanahan went so far as to say that he has never seen a player's contract guarantees be voided, so whatever is happening behind closed doors in San Francisco, it must be fairly extreme.
The Raiders would be far better suited to sign a veteran like Mike Evans this offseason to bolster the wide receiver room, or sign a young free agent like Rashid Shaheed, Wan'Dale Robinson, Romeo Doubs or Alec Pierce to a reasonable multi-year deal.
Las Vegas could also swing big for George Pickens if the Dallas Cowboys let him out of their grasp, or the Raiders could utilize one of their premier picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on any number of promising wideouts from the college level.
But whatever they do, they can't fall into the same Brandon Aiyuk trap that the 49ers have for the last several years. The Raiders already made this mistake by giving up so much capital for Davante Adams, and they are reminded of this ill-advised decision nearly every week.
As badly as the Silver and Black need a true No. 1 wideout, their resources are much better off being diverted elsewhere.