KJ Hamler’s NFL path has taken another turn, and this one brings him back into the AFC West conversation.
The former Broncos wide receiver, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, had a tryout with the Las Vegas Raiders on July 27, 2026, according to Luca Evans. Hamler, who was with Denver as recently as the 2023 season, has since spent time with the Colts and Bills before landing in the UFL with the Orlando Storm this past season.
For a player whose career once pointed toward much bigger things, the chance with Las Vegas is another reminder that the NFL never really closes the door on former high picks. Hamler flashed real promise early in his Broncos run, but injuries wiped out that momentum. He also dealt with off-field challenges, and simply still being in the mix for an NFL look says plenty about how hard he’s fought to keep his career alive.
The Raiders could use the help. Their wide receiver group is thin, with several of the more recognizable names coming from recent draft classes and still needing to prove themselves.
Of course, the offense is expected to run through Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty first, so Hamler wouldn’t be arriving as a cure-all. But on a tryout basis, he’s the kind of flyer a team in that spot can justify.
There’s also a familiar Broncos-to-Raiders link in the building. Brian Stark, who was Denver’s director of college scouting from 2012-2024, is now assistant GM under John Spytek in Las Vegas. In a league where old evaluations get revisited all the time, connections like that can matter.
When Denver drafted Hamler, the hope was obvious: elite speed, a physical edge, and the kind of big-play juice that might resemble what Tyreek Hill brought to the Chiefs at the time. That never materialized. Even after Sean Payton took over, Hamler didn’t survive training camp, and up to this point it’s tough to argue Payton was wrong to move on.
Still, Hamler is only 27, and one tryout can lead to the next opportunity if the fit is right.
He hasn’t signed with the Raiders yet, but it’s a name worth watching.
Denver, meanwhile, has its own UFL success story in the receiver room. Hakeem Butler, the UFL Offensive Player of the Year, was already making plays during mandatory minicamp, and his progression will be one of the more interesting things to follow when training camp opens.
Hamler and Butler, in different ways, show why the UFL has become such a useful pipeline for NFL teams. Sometimes the league really does reward the clubs willing to keep digging.
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