With the Las Vegas Raiders' 2025 NFL season mercifully coming to an end, things are just getting started in what will be an eventful and hopefully wild offseason for the Silver and Black.
One of the team's offseason priorities, among several, has to be figuring out the wide receiver room. Will Jack Bech become a thing? Is Dont'e Thornton Jr. going to have more of a role? Is Tre Tucker good enough to be more than a strong No. 2 wide receiver?
In all of this, the overarching question has to be whether or not this team can go out and find a true No. 1 wide receiver. And, in an odd turn of events, one AFC wideout just put his own future in doubt, causing some to wonder if a change of scenery is on the horizon.
Raiders should do due diligence on potential Michael Pittman Jr. trade
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. spoke with reporters after the team's final regular season game this past weekend and hinted that the team may not bring him back.
“Every player is self-aware. I know I didn’t cut it," Pittman Jr. said. "Hopefully, they bring me back, but whatever happens … I’ll always be a Colt.”
Here's the thing: Pittman isn't a free agent.
Look, general managers make phone calls all the time. So, to think John Spytek doesn't already have this on his radar would be silly. There is a lot on his plate, but if the speculation surrounding Pittman is real, then Spytek will at least make a phone call.
Still with a year remaining on his contract, Pittman's cap number in 2026 is set to be $29 million.
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Trading for a player entering a contract year is always a risk, of course. Look at what the Dallas Cowboys did with George Pickens, and now, they'll have to pay up if he's going to stick around.
But this Las Vegas team is desperate for a legitimate number one wide receiver. Even during Davante Adams' Raiders days, there was something to be said about a lack of interest in being with the team at certain points.
The Raiders need somebody who is committed, first and foremost, but also capable as a top option in the passing game.
Quietly, Pittman has been a strong option in this league for a few years now. The 28-year-old has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and hasn't had fewer than 785 receiving yards in a season since his rookie year back in 2020.
That says a lot for a guy who has largely played with some average-at-best quarterbacks. What might it take to get Pittman in a contract year? Maybe a second-rounder gets it done. Regardless, this is a situation to monitor.