The Raiders have spent the offseason circling the same problem: there still isn’t a true No. 1 receiver in Las Vegas. John Spytek was widely expected to address that spot on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but instead the Raiders poured resources into the secondary and the trenches.
That choice made sense in a vacuum. It also left real pressure on the current receiver room to produce something it hasn’t shown yet.
Tre Tucker is being asked to grow into a true WR1 role. Jalon Nailor’s arrival hasn’t shifted the conversation much, and Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. haven’t done enough to change the outlook either.
So the idea of adding a veteran before training camp is back on the table, even if it wouldn’t be a popular move with a lot of fans. And the name that jumps out most is Stefon Diggs, who turned in a strong 2025 season with the Patriots.
On paper, the fit is obvious. Off the field, it gets complicated fast.
Diggs brings baggage the Raiders may not want to touch. He has a reputation for being a difficult locker room presence, and that’s only part of the issue.
He also ran into legal trouble recently, which only adds another layer of distraction. That situation appeared to hasten his release from New England this offseason, and Las Vegas has made character a priority under John Spytek.
That alone could be enough to keep this from going anywhere.
Still, the football case is hard to ignore.
Diggs posted a bounce-back year in 2026, finishing with 85 catches for 1,013 yards. In Josh McDaniels’ offense, he worked as the “Z” receiver and split his snaps almost evenly, lining up 46% of the time outside and 54% in the slot, according to PFF.
That kind of versatility matters in Klint Kubiak’s system. Kubiak has shown he likes moving receivers around, and his use of Jaxon Smith-Njigba last season was a clear example. Smith-Njigba won Offensive Player of the Year, and part of that came from being used in a way that highlighted what he does best.
Even though Smith-Njigba was outside on 73% of his snaps, the Seahawks also used 12 personnel and lined him up in condensed sets. That let him function as the top target while still taking advantage of his slot skill set. That’s the kind of deployment that can unlock more from a player.
Diggs could be used in a similar way in Las Vegas. His film backed up the numbers, too. He created separation against press coverage and could give Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza a yards-after-catch option.
He also served as a steady target for Drake Maye in New England, giving the young quarterback a reliable outlet in key moments and helping fuel a Super Bowl run. Diggs has had similar success with Josh Allen in Buffalo, which only strengthens the argument that he can help a young passer settle in.
So yes, the concerns are real. The off-field issues would scare plenty of fans, and they may be enough to keep the Raiders from making a move at all. But Diggs’ track record with young quarterbacks makes him a tempting option for a team that still needs more juice at receiver.
The question for Spytek and company is simple: is the upgrade worth the trouble?
In Other News...
Raiders Could Be Eyeing A Shocking Veteran Trade Next
The Raiders have spent the offseason trying to reshape the roster around a new quarterback plan, pairing the No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza with Kirk Cousins as the veteran bridge and adding enough pieces in free agency to keep the depth chart fluid. Even after bringing back Eric Stokes, the front office still has a few movable parts as it continues sorting out which veterans fit the long-term picture and which ones could become trade candidates if the younger core starts to take over quickly.
Cousins is the name that keeps hovering over that conversation because his deal gives Las Vegas a big-name fallback without locking the team into a permanent answer at the position. If Mendoza pushes for the job sooner than expected, the Raiders could be forced to decide whether to keep the veteran insurance in place or use his value elsewhere, and that kind of flexibility is exactly why this roster feels like it could still change shape in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Already Have One Painful 2025 Roster Miss To Explain
The Raiders took a swing on a batch of undrafted free agents in 2025, hoping to uncover a few cheap roster wins the way every team does when it chases hidden depth after the draft. Instead, the class has become a reminder of how fragile those bets can be, with several of the more notable additions already gone and no longer part of the NFL picture.
Mello Dotson, Jah Joyner, Tank Booker and Jarrod Hufford all failed to stick, while other names from that group have drifted into alternative leagues or away from pro football altogether. For a team still trying to build reliable depth without spending much, the bigger concern is less about one player than the broader return on an entire class that has already thinned out so quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders UDFA Struggles Point To A Bigger Problem With Spytek
The Raiders 2025 undrafted free agent class was supposed to be a low-cost way to uncover help, but the early returns have been rough. Of the highest-paid UDFAs John Spytek brought in, only tight end Carter Runyon is still on the roster, a reminder that the team did find at least one player worth keeping around. For a front office trying to build depth and find value, the hit rate has been too thin to ignore.
The bigger issue may be less about the signings themselves than about what happened after the contracts were handed out. The pattern points to a possible disconnect between Spyteks talent evaluation and the coaching staffs willingness to invest time in unproven players, with Pete Carrolls preference for veterans he already trusted looming over the process. If the Raiders are going to make undrafted players matter, they may need a better alignment between who gets identified and who actually gets a real shot. [Read more 🡒]