Raiders mailbag: Why hasn’t team paid its top receiver yet?

The Raiders host the Chargers on “Monday Night Football” this week in their home opener at Allegiant Stadium.

Both clubs won their first game, so it should be a key matchup between two AFC West teams with playoff aspirations.

Raiders fans have plenty of questions heading into Week 2. Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:

Donny (@Reclaimer_9): With over ($8 million) in cap space, what’s the holdup with at least giving (wide receiver Jakobi) Meyers a raise this year? Seems odd for someone integral to the offense and someone who maintains a team-first, professional attitude.

Vincent Bonsignore: Well, it comes down to how much money Meyers wants and if he is looking for a longer commitment from the Raiders. He hasn’t been happy with how negotiations have gone thus far, which is why he requested a trade before the start of the season.

His price tag may have gone up after he caught eight passes for 97 yards in the team’s Week 1 win over the Patriots.

The Raiders have about $8.8 million in cap space this year, according to the website Over The Cap. That may seem like a lot, but there’s still a lot of season left. Injuries could require the team to make more additions. The Raiders may want to acquire someone at the trade deadline. It’s important the team maintains some flexibility.

The best solution for the Raiders is to find an extension that works for Meyers. That will allow them to maintain some cap space this season while still preventing the pending free agent from leaving.

Matt Berger (@matt_berger): What is your biggest surprise from Sunday’s 20-13 win over the New England Patriots?

Bonsignore: The biggest surprise is the Raiders were able to control the game despite not being able to run the ball.

The team wants to use its rushing attack, led by rookie first-round pick Ashton Jeanty, to set up its passing game. But it ran for 56 yards on 24 carries against the Patriots.

Quarterback Geno Smith threw for 362 yards in the win and showed he can carry the offense on his shoulders if necessary. The Raiders just don’t want him to have to do that every week.

Quick (@raider_level): Can (cornerback) Kyu Blu Kelly keep (up) with (Chargers wide receiver Quentin) Johnston? Is he the real deal or is he just flashing right now? The Raiders need a No. 1 cornerback.

Bonsignore: It’s probably a stretch to expect Kelly or any player on the Raiders current roster to turn into a No. 1, shutdown cornerback. But the team is just asking him and cornerback Eric Stokes to play capable football. So far, so good with that. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for only 287 yards on 46 attempts in Week 1, with a touchdown and an interception.

Kelly, Stokes and the rest of the Raiders secondary face a stiffer test this week with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert coming to town. It’ll take a total team effort on defense to limit Los Angeles’ passing attack.

Jim Bobarino (@JBobMagnificent): Given the success of the Chargers last season, their impressive win over the Chiefs last week, and the Raiders’ lack of success last year, what do the underdog Raiders need to do to come out with a win?

Bonsignore: The Raiders will need to do a lot of things right to pull an upset over the Chargers.

Some keys are winning the turnover battle, scoring touchdowns in the red zone and playing well on third downs on both sides of the ball.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.