Prediction: Jakobi Meyers will be a Jaguar by the end of the day

Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is playing on an expiring three-year, $33 million contract. His request during the offseason for a new deal was denied. Then he asked for a trade, which was rejected as well.

The seventh-year NFL veteran was recently asked by reporters if he still wished to be traded. "Oh, for sure," was his response. "But I'm a professional at the end of the day. I'm just trying to play good football."

"If you move me, you move me. But in the meantime, I got some [teammates] that I care about next to me, so I'm trying to make sure I'm being my best self for them."

As that quote suggests, Meyers is a pro's pro. A good guy to have in the locker room. Intangibly rich, one might even say.

That's exactly what the doctor ordered for Jacksonville.

Dyami Brown and Tim Patrick are the team's only wideouts with at least three full seasons of pro experience, and Brown only has four and a half. The Jaguars' most productive receivers this year – Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Parker Washington – have combined for just 59 career games.

The youth of the room is evident on game days. The Jaguars rank 30th in PFF receiving grade (62.4) and 32nd in dropped passes (24). Trevor Lawrence seemingly can't depend on anybody.

The front office may be rethinking its decision to trade away Lawrence's most trusted target, Christian Kirk, even if he hasn't been particularly healthy or effective for the Texans this year.

Like Kirk, Meyers can provide leadership and wisdom for his peers, and he very rarely has a mental lapse on the field. Unlike Kirk, he still has some gas in the tank.

After notching 41 targets and 359 receiving yards as an undrafted rookie, then 81 targets and 729 yards in his second year, Meyers ripped off four straight seasons with over 95 targets and 800 yards from 2021-24. Only a dozen other NFL players did the same in that span.

Meyers' stats this year are in the same ballpark as those four seasons.

That's pretty impressive, considering he a) turns 29 in five days and b) plays for an offense that ranked dead last in points, yards, and first downs entering Week 9.

There are other trade candidates at the position who would provide a higher long-term ceiling, like Green Bay's Dontayvion Wicks or Indianapolis' Adonai Mitchell. They're explosive athletes who are buried on depth charts with cost-controlled contracts. That said, they would be development projects.

Jacksonville needs an instant impact. Lawrence already has a handful of players to grow with over the years; he could use a steady veteran. Considering both the inexperience and the injuries* of the Jaguars' skill position players, Meyers would be a breath of fresh air.

*Hunter (knee) and Brenton Strange (hip) are on injured reserve, Patrick (groin) missed Sunday's game, and Thomas (ankle), Brown (concussion), and Hunter Long (knee) all left early.

With a 12th percentile 40-yard dash (4.63s), a 29th percentile broad jump (118"), and a 31st-percentile 3-cone drill (7.07s), Meyers has always been a below-average athlete by NFL standards. Maybe that's why his game has aged gracefully.

The 6' 2", 193 lb wideout wins with field IQ and strong hands. He would immediately be the Jaguars' best pass-catcher at finding voids in zone coverage, not to mention at understanding play concepts and route landmarks.

And check out his career contested catch rate compared to some of the best wideouts in today's game.

• 61.0% – Jakobi Meyers
• 55.9% – Amon-Ra St. Brown
• 51.3% – Justin Jefferson
• 49.0% – A.J. Brown
• 47.5% – CeeDee Lamb
• 42.8% – Ja'Marr Chase

Meyers showed his worth several times in Week 9 against the Jaguars. He converted a third down in the clip below.

He also happened to be open on each of Brock Bowers' three touchdowns.

On Bowers' first score, Meyers crossed Montaric Brown's face to create enough separation for a would-be catch.

To be fair, Brown was playing with outside leverage because Antonio Johnson was providing help over the middle. Good rep by Meyers either way though.

On Bowers' second score, Meyers channeled his inner hooper by crossing up Jarrian Jones at the line of scrimmage. Jones was able to reattach himself to Meyers' hip, but because the latter gained outside leverage, a slight head fake and permissible push off created enough separation for another would-be catch. Jones was sent stumbling and had to flail his arms to stay upright.

A well-timed ball would've been required for a touchdown, but again, it's a good rep.

On Bowers' third score, Meyers showed his veteran savviness by creating an open throwing window. He used another crossover move at the line of scrimmage to gain inside leverage. After running in a straight line towards the back pylon, he stuck his left foot in the ground and redirected towards the front pylon. Meyers gave himself enough room to work back to the football without having to leave the endzone, thus potentially sacrifice six points.

It's not uncommon for teams to acquire players after seeing that player perform well against their own team. For instance, Liam Coen raved about Jourdan Lewis' 2024 performance against his Bucs after the Jags signed him in 2025 free agency.

That makes this report from Michael Silver of The Athletic pretty interesting.

"It may just be a coincidence, but before the game, Meyers made a point of saying hello to Tony Boselli, the Jags’ executive vice president of football operations; Boselli’s son, Adam, was a teammate of Meyers at North Carolina State. Meyers also casually chatted up Jags coach Liam Coen at game’s end. And while none of those discussions included anything about a potential trade, the prospect of relocation remains on Meyers’ mind."

Las Vegas will trade Meyers "only if they felt they were getting strong value in return," ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote last week. "The belief is it would take at least a Day 2 pick for the Raiders to even consider it," said Jordan Schultz.

Maybe Coen can sweet talk Raiders GM John Spytek, who was with him in Tampa Bay last season, and have him settle for a fourth-rounder.

Las Vegas may not want to cut any ties until the season is over. And I suppose Meyers' professionalism should be as much a reason for the Raiders to keep him as for the Jaguars to get him.

Then again, the Raiders (2-6) are in a division so competitive that Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs (5-4) are currently in third place. Playoff models by ESPN, Next Gen Stats, and The Athletic give Pete Carroll's squad less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs. Plus, unlike the Jaguars, they don't have a young quarterback who could use a trustable target.

Geno Smith is 35 years old and tied for the league lead in interceptions (11). That pretty much puts Las Vegas in 'acquire draft picks to take swings on quarterbacks' mode. Their focus should be on the future.

By trading away Meyers, the Raiders would boost its draft capital while paving the way for rookie receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton to see the field. It seems silly that they wouldn't sell Meyers to the highest bidder, even if he is the team's leading receiver.

If Jacksonville were to acquire him, it'd be with the intent to later re-sign him depending on how the rest of the season goes (similar to the Greg Newsome trade).

His football intelligence, inside-out versatility, and reliable hands make him the kind of role player that any playoff team would want in its receiver room. The unquantifiable value he'd provide to his younger teammates – even by being nothing more than a leader by example – is the kicker.

This article was originally formatted as '3 Mock Trade Offers for the Jaguars.' After doing extensive research on a dozen or so other trade candidates, I couldn't come up with any other players who make close to as much sense for Jacksonville to acquire. Meyers is an ideal fit.

I'm calling my shot by saying he will be a Jaguar by the end of the day.

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