It’s a new era for the Las Vegas Raiders under head coach Pete Carroll and he’s already making many changes. Many players from the Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce eras won’t be coming back.
One player the Raiders appear to have moved on from is wide receiver DJ Turner. He could’ve been a restricted free agent this offseason but Las Vegas decided not to tender him, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Free agency has been going on for a few weeks now and Turner remains unsigned but it looks like he’s closing the door on a possible return to the Raiders. He sent a parting message to Las Vegas on his Instagram that simply said, “It’s been real LV.”
While things could change, it would appear that Turner is either planning to play elsewhere in 2025 or not play at all. He first joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021 so he’s played for Jon Gruden, McDaniels and Pierce.
Turner was more of a special teams ace until he was thrust into a bigger role on the offense last season. He caught 16 passes for 158 yards last season. Perhaps a reunion with McDaniels on the New England Patriots could make sense for the veteran.
Raiders Could Address WR in Draft
It’s odd that the Raiders would let Turner walk for nothing considering how thin their wide receiver room is. They have nine wide receivers on the roster but only Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker were consistent playmakers.
The Raiders have plenty of needs all over the roster but it’s possible they could use their first-round pick to address wide receiver. In his most recent mock draft for ESPN, Matt Miller projects Las Vegas to use the No. 6 pick on Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
“Ashton Jeanty has been a popular pick here in mocks, but have you seen the Raiders’ wide receiver depth chart? Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly will want to run the ball, but they didn’t trade a third-round pick for quarterback Geno Smith to have him hand the ball off 35 times per game,” Miller wrote. “The Raiders need receivers more than running backs, and new general manager John Spytek might determine that he can wait and pick from a deep running back class later.
“Receiver isn’t as deep, so Las Vegas should grab McMillan, whose 6-4 frame and ability to win contested catches has won him fans around the league. Some point to a lack of separation ability, but McMillan has enough juice to make tacklers miss underneath. That, combined with his physicality and toughness at the catch point, would make him the Raiders’ instant WR1.”
Is McMillan Worth That High of a Pick?
McMillan was very productive in college and has great size. However, he’s not particularly fast. He’s easily worth a first-round pick but the No. 6 pick should be reserved for truly special wide receivers.
It remains to be seen if McMillan is that type of prospect. If the Raiders could trade down out of the top 10 and still get the Arizona wide receiver, that would be a huge win for the team.
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