One Las Vegas Raiders play who has proven to be a survivor is wide receiver DJ Turner. He was originally brought in under Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock’s regime. He was then brought back to the Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler regime.
Even after McDaniels and Ziegler were fired, Antonio Pierce and Tom Telesco brought Turner Back. However, it looks like he might not survive his fourth Raiders regime. According to a March 3 X post from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Las Vegas decided not to tender Turner.
Had they tendered him, he would’ve been a restricted free agent and likely would’ve returned to the Raiders. He’ll now be free to test free agency. While Fowler noted that the Raiders could still be interested in bringing him back, it seems more likely that he’ll finally move to another team.
Turner was mostly a special teams contributor until last season. He started six games for the Raiders in 2024 and caught 16 passes for 158 yards. He’s a strong special teams player and the Raiders did retain special teams coordinator Tom McMahon so he could push for Turner to come back. Las Vegas is thin at wide receiver so they’re going to make several moves at the position this offseason.
Raiders Want No. 1 WR
The Davante Adams trade left the Raiders without a true No. 1 wide receiver last season. Jakobi Meyers is a very good No. 2 and while tight end Brock Bowers is a No. 1 option, the team still needs a top player out wide.
According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur, the Raiders will be looking to upgrade their receiver room this offseason.
“The Raiders feel Jakobi Meyers is a good No. 2 option and that Tre Tucker is a solid No. 3 receiver, but they’re lacking a true No. 1 wideout,” Tafur and Reed wrote in a Feb. 28 column.
“Depending on whether the Cincinnati Bengals franchise tag receiver Tee Higgins, sign him to an extension or let him test the open market, he’d be the top veteran option. There are other quality receivers such as Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs who are available, but they aren’t ‘X’ receivers who possess the size, speed and separation skills to thrive when primarily lined up outside. Perhaps the Raiders could find a player in that mold for cheap in the draft, but those are hard to come by.”
Higgins was officially franchise tagged by the Bengals so he won’t be an option. The Raiders may be better off looking to the draft.
Is Tetairoa McMillan an Option?
More and more draft experts don’t believe the Raiders will use the No. 6 pick on a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. Considering wide receiver options aren’t great in free agency, the Raiders could decide to use that pick to find a pass catcher.
Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan is likely the only wide receiver worth that high of a draft pick this year. He’s huge at 6-foot-5 with plenty of speed. Pairing him with Meyers and Bowers would give the Raiders a very strong trio of pass catchers. If they can’t land a star quarterback, they may as well make life easier for whoever is starting for them in 2025.
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