The Las Vegas Raiders have revamped their offense this offseason. Multiple changes have been made at key positions as wide receiver Davante Adams could be the only holdover from 2022 that has a prominent role in 2023.
Las Vegas made a change at quarterback, signing Jimmy Garoppolo to replace Derek Carr. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was signed in free agency, which could lead to Hunter Renfrow eventually being traded. Tight end Darren Waller is no longer with the team as he was traded to the New York Giants. Mack Hollins also departed in free agency, signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
Those are a lot of new faces for head coach Josh McDaniels to work with. However, the transition will be easier than others because he has worked with Garoppolo and Meyers previously with the New England Patriots.
Alas, the Raiders may not be done making moves. They were one of the teams recently linked to DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals. While new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Hopkins will be on the roster come Week 1, trade rumors have swirled around him for a few weeks.
At this point, it would be a surprise if Hopkins isn’t traded. What could it cost for the Raiders to land the former All-Pro? Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report put together a hypothetical trade, as Hopkins would head to Sin City in exchange for the No. 70 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Providing Garoppolo with a star wide receiver duo in Adams and Hopkins with Meyers and possibly Renfrow working the slow would be great. When you add in Josh Jacobs manning the backfield, this would be one of the best groups of skill position players in the NFL.
However, there are some major hurdles for the team to overcome. Fitting Hopkins’ contract on their salary books would take a lot of work given their current money situation. Committing that kind of money to the wide receiver position may not be best for business when it comes to roster building.
There is nothing wrong with doing due diligence, as the Raiders should look in on Hopkins and see if acquiring him is feasible. The compensation is certainly easy to stomach and if they can make it work monetarily, the Raiders would have the weapons in place to keep up with the other high-octane offenses in the AFC West.
