The Las Vegas Raiders were well-equipped to overturn the roster this offseason, and they did all they could with ample cap space and plenty of draft capital. That being said, addressing every need was impossible in one offseason and some things will just have to wait until 2027.
Although the Raiders have an interesting group of wide receivers currently on the roster, they do lack a big-bodied "X" receiver and a true go-to guy who would complete the room for rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza now and in the future. At this point, next offseason is the time to address that.
FanSided's Jake Beckman recently offered one trade target for each NFL team at this stage of the offseason. Some are automatically more interesting than others, and it's fair to say the proposed trade target for the Raiders lands on the less interesting side.
Trade idea offers Raiders a reunion no one is asking for
For Beckman, Las Vegas' proposed target was a familiar face in Mack Hollins, who is now with the New England Patriots. Hollins, of course, played one season with the Raiders back in 2022, and while he can certainly fill a role, this isn't exactly the kind of addition that the Raiders need or should want.
"A little-known fact* is that it’s actually illegal for Mack Hollins to play on the same team for two years in a row. Ever since he played two full seasons in Miami from 2020 to 2021, he’s changed teams every single year."
"He went from Miami to Vegas, to Atlanta, to Buffalo, to New England. Once the Patriots trade for A.J. Brown in a couple of weeks, they’re going to have a very full wide receiver room. The odd man out is probably going to be Hollins.
"The Raiders desperately need to get Fernando Mendoza (or Kirk Cousins) some wide receivers. Right now, it’s Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, and Tre Tucker… That’s not going to do anything for you.
"To be fair, Mack Hollins isn’t going to be a huge shot in the arm, but he’d be an upgrade over at least one of those three guys. Also, can you imagine the conversations between him and Mendoza? Those are two wildly wholesome cats, but in two very different ways."
*Not a fact at all.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 221 pounds, Hollins certainly looks the part of an NFL wide receiver filling that 'X' role, and moving toward his 10th season, he has put together a lasting career for a reason.
But he has had more than 50 catches and 550 yards in a season exactly once in his career. To be fair, that was with the Raiders in 2022 (57 receptions for 690 yards) when he was the No. 2 wide receiver by default. It's a different time for him and Las Vegas, though.
While he would add size, veteran leadership and a healthy dose of personality to the wide receiver room, Hollins is simply not a talent upgrade over Nailor, Bech or Tucker, as Beckman suggested. Nor should he be taking reps away from young players still developing in a non-contending window.
If the Raiders want to see about Dont'e Thornton Jr. during OTAs, training camp and into the season, trading for Hollins would complicate that idea more than anything else.
Now, if the Raiders were to inquire about trading for a Patriots wide receiver who may be an odd man out once the seemingly inevitable acquisition of A.J. Brown is made, after June 1, Kayshon Boutte seems far more ideal than Hollins.
Hollins would be fun, and could play a role, but trading draft capital for him would be bad business and ultimately inconsequential.
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