Raiders free agent TE Jared Cook to visit Saints

The Raiders have been hard at work this free agency period, signing four big-time players to big-time contracts. Unfortunately, that may leave them on the outside looking in as one of their best players from last season could sign elsewhere.

Jared Cook was easily the Raiders’ best receiving threat in 2018, especially down the stretch when the Raiders had no wide receivers to speak of. He had a tremendous season and was a model Raider. The Saints have plenty of receiver talent, but very little in the way of tight ends, so they could bring in Cook to make their offense even more dangerous than it was last year, if such a thing were even feasible.

It’s been reported that the Patriots are also interested in Cook, unsure if Rob Gronkowski will come back to play in 2019, and even if he does they could still use a player of Cook’s caliber. The Raiders are monitoring Cook’s market, but it seems likely that they won’t be able to match one of these teams for his services.

If that’s the case, it’s possible that the Raiders could spend one of their three first-rounders next month on a tight end. Iowa’s TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant as well as Alabama’s Irv Smith are the top prospects available.