Even when things appear to be going right for the Las Vegas Raiders, drama seems to creep up. It happened earlier in the offseason with Christian Wilkins, and now there’s drama on the offensive side of the ball.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is coming off the best year of his career, where he had 1,027 receiving yards and was the only high-volume wide receiver in the NFL to not drop a pass. He’s going into the final year of his contract, which is a fact that he doesn’t appear happy about.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Meyers has requested a trade from the Raiders.
“Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers recently met with team brass and requested to be traded, per me and Tom Pelissero,” Rapoport wrote on X.
“The team, citing his value, said they had no plans to do so. Meyers and the team attempted to negotiate a new contract, but could not come to terms.”
Based on the report, it doesn’t appear the Raiders have any plans to trade Meyers right now. He’s easily their best wide receiver, so losing him would be a huge blow to the offense. It remains to be seen if Meyers would be willing to hold out if he doesn’t get a trade or a new contract.
Meyers Recently Discussed Raiders Future
Meyers has said in the past that he’d like to remain with the Raiders going forward, but that may no longer be the case. Before this new report dropped, he was asked about his future with the team and had an interesting answer.
“As much as they want me here,” Meyers recently said. “That’s really all I can say about that.”
With this new information coming to light, it’s clear that he was suggesting that the Raiders don’t want him. Rapoport noted that Las Vegas did try to negotiate a contract with him, so they aren’t completely opposed to extending him. However, it would stand to reason that they don’t think he’s worth big money.
While Meyers was very good for the Raiders last season, he hasn’t proven to be a true No. 1 wide receiver, but he may feel that he’s earned that kind of money.
What Would Raiders Do Without Meyers?
If Meyers holds out or gets traded, that could be a problem for Las Vegas. He’s their best wide receiver right now. The Raiders chose to go young at wide receiver this season, so having a veteran like Meyers on the roster is very important.
That said, it does make some sense why the Raiders aren’t keen on giving him a long-term deal. Meyers and second-round pick Jack Bech have a very similar skillset. Las Vegas could be banking on Bech filling the Meyers role next season.
However, Bech isn’t likely ready to make a big impact this year. Meyers, apparently, has been fighting for a new contract for a while, so if he was going to hold out, he may have already done it. Unless the season goes off the rails early on, it’s hard to see the Raiders actually trading him away.
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