Analyst tells Raiders not to panic over Jakobi Meyers situation

Monday was quite the heavy news day for the Las Vegas Raiders.

On top of signing free agent wide receiver Amari Cooper and trading with the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Kenny Pickett, they also received a trade request from wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Contract negotiations with the Raiders had stalled out, and Meyers wanted a raise after his first 1,000-yard season. With potential trade targets like Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson coming off the board, Meyers brought some interest back into the trade rumor mill.

While the Raiders have already said Meyers is too significant a piece of their offense for them to move, they likely do not need to stress too badly over it.

The Raiders still have control over the Meyers situation.

In his list of offseason issues and how much teams should panic over them, Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab did not believe the Raiders had much to worry about with Meyers.

“Meyers is a good receiver, having 1,027 yards last season, and he might have a gripe that he’s underpaid, but he might not have much leverage,” Schwab wrote.

”Cooper isn’t exciting anyone after he was unsigned until late August, but he has a track record of success. Rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. has looked great and fellow rookie Jack Bech was a second-round pick who should progress as the season goes on. Tight end Brock Bowers is the de facto No. 1 receiver anyway. The Raiders want Meyers in the lineup but they’re probably not freaking out.”

Outside of the names Schwab listed, wide receiver Tre Tucker and tight end Michael Mayer figure to be in the mix for receptions as well.

It is clear Meyers wants to be a core piece in Las Vegas, which is what the Raiders did with Maxx Crosby and Kolton Miller by signing both to extensions earlier this offseason. However, his successful 2024 did not stop the Raiders from adding youth and depth into the receiving corps. While they clearly do value Meyers, they also are not interested in running the risk of an overpay.

Meyers can only look to what has become a pivotal 2025, where he hopes to improve in order to market himself to the Raiders or another interested team.