The Las Vegas Raiders have looked good to start the Klint Kubiak era. Vegas seems to be developing Fernando Mendoza well and already looks much more competitive than last season. The Raiders' front office appears to be making smart decisions too.

Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated shared the inside story on why the Raiders passed on Harrison in the first place.

Carpenter explained that Vegas did their due diligence on the young wide receiver. It quickly became clear that Harrison was not in their price range. That ended the possibility of a trade pretty quickly.

“When the Raiders realized what the Cardinals were asking, the Silver and Black were not interested at all,” Carpenter wrote. “In fact, a source close to the situation told me, ‘If the cost doesn’t match, no way you make that move.'”

However, that did not stop Raiders fans from getting excited about the possibility of adding Harrison.

“Raider Nation, however, got played as social media ‘took off.' Rumors flew, despite my repeatedly shooting them down, because of the outlandish cost and the reality of production,” Carpenter explained. “The Raiders are looking for answers, not drama, question marks, and other people’s problems.”

Article Continues Below

On one hand, it is easy to understand where Raiders fans were coming from. Vegas had some of the best odds to land Harrison and have an obvious need for more offensive talent. But on the other hand, rumors are not the same as actual reporting. When fans cannot tell the difference, the situation can get out of control rather quickly.

Ultimately, the Raiders should be just fine without Harrison. Vegas is still 3-3 on the season and very much alive in the AFC playoff picture. Though they will need to start stacking some wins if they want to series contend for the postseason.

Next up for the Raiders is a Week 7 matchup against the Rams.