Geno Smith at Raiders offseason workouts.
Some have wondered if the Detroit Lions could move on from Jameson Williams, one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. Williams isn’t the vocal point of the Lions’ offense due to all the other talent they have on that side of the football, but if he were to get traded, he’d be wanted around the league. If one team could use him, it’s the Las Vegas Raiders, who, while revamping their offense, need to find a star wide receiver.
Searching for potential trades for the Lions’ star, CBS Sports named the Raiders a landing spot. Brian DeArdo linked the two sides before the draft, but given that the Raiders shouldn’t expect youngsters Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. to find immediate success as wide receivers in the NFL, it still remains true.
“Las Vegas needs a receiver, so adding Williams would make a lot of sense for Pete Carroll’s team. Williams would be another new weapon for a Raiders offense that traded for QB Geno Smith this offseason and is also expected to add Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.
“Las Vegas has more work to do as far as building their offense, but adding Williams and Jeanty over the next week would certainly be a good start,” DeArdo wrote.
New Look Raiders
Adding Pete Carroll and Geno Smith to the mix, the Las Vegas Raiders need to give their new faces a few more receivers to throw the football to.
Brock Bowers is arguably the best tight end in the NFL, but the pressure will be on him to continue playing at the level he did in his rookie season. Adding somebody like the Detroit Lions’ Williams would allow Bowers to see different coverages, something that should also excite the Raiders in a potential trade for another receiver, even if it isn’t somebody as talented as Williams.
Sports Illustrated believes that the Raiders haven’t done enough to sign a wide receiver this offseason, and that the team shouldn’t rely on either of their rookies to make a major impact, showing where things stand.
“However, the Raiders’ offense operated at a higher level when Davante Adams was the team’s No. 1 receiver and Meyers could play an effective complementary role. The team did not sign a receiver during free agency, instead electing to select two in the 2025 NFL Draft: TCU’s Jack Bech and Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr.
“The Raiders should not expect Bech to be the team’s No. 1 receiver in his rookie season, as his skill set fits as an ancillary piece, like Meyers. Thornton was a fourth-round pick who has to smooth out the rough edges of his game before producing for this offense,” Carter Landis wrote.
Would the Lions Trade Williams?
If the Las Vegas Raiders want to trade for Williams, the question immediately becomes whether the Detroit Lions are willing to move him.
According to Brad Holmes, the Lions’ general manager, right now, they have no plans to move on from the Alabama product.
“No, that’s something that we have never entertained. I don’t know where that report came from, but that’s not a conversation that me and Dan (Campbell) have ever had,” Holmes said.
If that proves to be true, the Raiders will have to find an alternative option.
