The Las Vegas Raiders may have wanted to focus on improving the roster at the trade deadline had they not lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the loss has made them sellers.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are trading wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars for fourth-and sixth-round picks. This move isn’t a surprise, as Meyers requested a trade from the team months ago.
The Jaguars just lost star rookie Travis Hunter to an injury, so they needed help at wide receiver. Meyers made a ton of sense, as he can be a one-year rental and didn’t cost the team much in a trade.
For the Raiders, they’ve now lost their best wide receiver. However, it makes sense to move on from him now. He doesn’t want to be in Las Vegas, and he would’ve left in free agency after the year. Plus, the Raiders have two rookie wide receivers in Dont’e Thornton and Jack Bech who need more playing time.
Meyers now gets to play for a team that’s in the playoff mix, where he should have a big role early on. Brian Thomas is a dynamic wide receiver, but he drops a lot of passes. Meyers is one of the most sure-handed wide receivers in the NFL.
NFL World Reacts to Meyers Trade
It has been a very active trade deadline this year. The Raiders have been linked to some deals, but Meyers was the most likely candidate to get moved. The NFL world reacted to the news that Meyers is getting traded to Jacksonville.
“Absolutely love this dudes game and love this for Jags. Strong compliment to BTJ,” ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky wrote on X.
“Makes sense with Hunter on IR and BTJ also hurt now. Meyers gives them someone who can win inside/out and go over the middle,” Yahoo’s Matt Harmon wrote on X.
“I love this trade for the Jaguars,” Grant Paulsen wrote on X. “Meyers is an underrated player and Coen will do good things with him.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the teams heavily linked to Meyers, but couldn’t seal the deal. Some fans weren’t happy about that.
“The Steelers are not serious people,” one fan wrote on X.
Was This the Right Move for Raiders to Make?
Fourth-and sixth-round picks aren’t a huge haul for the Raiders, but that’s likely the best they could’ve gotten for Meyers. He’s a very good wide receiver, but he’s not a star. He’s likely the Jaguars’ second or third wide receiver once Hunter is back on the field.
Extending Meyers could’ve been a smart move for the Raiders, but they clearly didn’t see him as a long-term piece. This was the only move for Las Vegas to make. Sure, they could’ve gotten a compensatory pick for Meyers if he left in free agency, but that’s not a guarantee. And now they don’t have this potential distraction on the team anymore.
Meyers was a good Raider, but the team had to make this move. It’s time to focus on the young wide receivers.
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