The Las Vegas Raiders found a strong contributor in last year’s free agency period when they signed wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to a three-year, $33 million contract.
Meyers repaid the Raiders by catching 71 passes for 807 yards and eight touchdowns. He played the perfect companion to Davante Adams in the Raiders’ passing game.
His stats were impressive, but what left an impression on Coach Antonio Pierce was Meyers’ work ethic. He lauded the work Meyers put in to become the player he is today.
During a rapid-fire question segment on defensive end Maxx Crosby’s podcast, The Rush with Maxx Crosby, Pierce was asked who the hardest-working player on the team was.
He answered Crosby immediately, but Crosby answered Meyers. Pierce then echoed Crosby’s sentiment about Meyers’ work ethic.
“I don’t really deal with wide receivers like that; they’re cool, I like them, but this dude is different,” he said. They’re all about catching the ball – this dude will do whatever. Not even the dirty work; it’s just like, he’s a team dude. You just watch him; he nods his head, he’ll run, he’ll catch the ball, he’ll block, he’ll start throwing the ball for us. What couldn’t he do?
“It was like the ultimate team player. To be honest, if he’s on the other team, he’s a No. 1 receiver. Not even close. I can’t speak more highly of him of how unselfish he is as a player. We’re a better team because of him. Now, Davante’s a star. Without a question. But you need guys like Jakobi.”
Crosby then followed Pierce’s praise with a strong endorsement of his own.
“Jakobi’s like, ‘Run the crack toss,’” Crosby said. “He’s telling the coach, ‘I want to run the crack toss so I can ear-hole a linebacker.’ There’s not receivers looking forward to doing that. They’re trying to run a route for the most part and do their thing, but I think it’s pretty rare.”
Meyers became a vital piece of the Raiders’ offense last season. They are hoping he can continue that production into next season.
As long as he continues to work, he will continue to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches.
To watch the entire podcast episode with Pierce and Crosby, click here.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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