The New England Patriots are one of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season, but Mike Vrabel’s team could still use an infusion of talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
While the Patriots might be in the market for running back depth, it would also help Drake Maye if New England could add another wide receiver. One name that should at least be considered in Foxboro is Las Vegas Raiders wideout Jakobi Meyers.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Oct. 15 that while Vegas hasn’t thrown up the “For sale” sign just yet, there’s a sense within the league they could trade the veteran receiver.
“Teams I’ve spoken to believe the Raiders are open to trading wide receiver Jakobi Meyers but are not actively trying to move him,” Fowler wrote for ESPN.com. “The sense is the Raiders would prefer to play out the season before making major determinations about the roster. But Meyers requested a trade in the preseason, so a potential deal feels at least on the table.”
Will Patriots Make Play for Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers?
If the Raiders did move Meyers, there would be a natural inclination to suggest the Patriots get involved. New England is familiar with Meyers, of course, after he signed as an undrafted free agent out of NC State in 2019. The former quarterback has since turned himself into a legitimate No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, especially with the Raiders. Last season, in just 15 games, Meyers set career highs in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,027) while also hauling in four touchdown passes for an otherwise bad Raiders team.
The Patriots, meanwhile, would probably like a do-over on letting Meyers walk after the 2022 season.
“One league source indicated the Pats weren’t even the runner-up for Meyers, despite entering free agency with the sixth-most cap space in the NFL,” the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan wrote in 2023 ahead of a Patriots-Raiders matchup, the first since the split.
And while the Patriots floundered in the first and only year of the offensive coordinator Matt Patricia era in New England, Meyers’ career took off. He caught a then-career-high 71 passes in his first season with the Raiders, including a five-catch, 61-yard and a touchdown revenge game against the Patriots in Week 6.
Why Meyers Makes Sense for Patriots
Bringing him back to Foxboro now, especially under a new regime, could be a good play for the Patriots, especially if they don’t swing for the fences for someone like Philly’s A.J. Brown. One would imagine Meyers would be open to it, for a few reasons. He already requested a trade earlier this year after extension talks fell apart. There’s also no real reason to believe the 2-4 Raiders, who did coincidentally beat the Patriots in Week 1, are going to contend for anything in 2025.
Perhaps most importantly, a return to New England also would mean a reunion with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who also was the Raiders’ head coach in Meyers’ first season in Las Vegas.
The Patriots also wouldn’t be counting on Meyers to be the guy. That role at this point on the New England depth chart largely belongs to Stefon Diggs, and Kayshon Boutte looks more and more like a big-time receiving threat every week. He’d be a short-term upgrade over DeMario Douglas in the slot and would give Maye — who has looked like a legitimate MVP candidate — one more option, which is even more important given how New England has struggled to run the ball.
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