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Jul 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (4) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Jakobi Meyers Is Being Treated Unfairly By The NFL

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Wayne Gregoire | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 5:07 PM ET

Jakobi Meyers has issued an ultimatum to the Las Vegas Raiders. He wants a new deal, or he wants to be traded. Meyers has one year remaining with the Raiders for $15 million, and the team is reluctant to give him an extension. This is a repeat of how things went down for Meyers in New England, when the Patriots decided they would rather play against him than pay him. This is a pattern of team behavior that Meyers can expect the rest of his career, regardless of how well he plays.

Terry McLaurin And Courtland Sutton

The Washington Commanders finally gave in to similar demands from their star receiver, Terry McLaurin. He asked for a trade or a new deal, and he got the latter after a season with 117 targets, 82 receptions, and 1,096 yards. His deal was for three years and $87 million. He will be 30 years old this season. Out in Denver, the Broncos had their own 30-year-old seeking a trade or contract.

Courtland Sutton was coming off a season where he was targeted 135 times and caught 81 passes for 1,081 yards. The Broncos rewarded him with a four-year deal for $92 million. These two receivers are making $23 million and $29 million per year, respectively, double what Meyers is getting. He is younger than both players and equally as productive (129 targets last season, 87 catches for 1,027 yards), so why don’t teams value his production?

He’s Not In The Club

The truth is, NFL teams don’t value players like Meyers, no matter how well they play from season to season. The reason is that he was an undrafted free agent. Courtland was a second-round pick, and McLaurin was a third-rounder. This makes them more valuable than Meyers, even if they put up the same numbers and are a little older than he is. Another prime example of this type of bias is the deal that DK Metcalf has with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Metcalf is making $33 million per year. His career high for targets is 129 (what Meyers posted last season), and he’s had 87 or more receptions just once. In fact, last season, he had 66 receptions for 992 yards. So, what makes him more valuable to NFL teams than Meyers? The fact that he was drafted and Meyers wasn’t. If the Patriots had drafted Meyers instead of signing him, even if he was a sixth-round pick, he would already have a deal with the Raiders.

End Of My Jakobi Meyers Rant

There is still time for Las Vegas to get a deal done, and they have the cap space to do it. There is no way they value Meyers to the tune of $30 million per year, so the most likely outcome is that they will lowball him with a deal in the high teens and then honor his trade request. His new team might give him $20 million per year, but probably not. The best Meyers can hope for at this point is that he gets paid in 2026 free agency.

Outside of Mike Evans (another drafted player), Meyers should be the top free agent receiver. All he needs to do in order to secure the payday he deserves is have a season this year equal to 2024. Another 85 catches for 1,000 yards should get it done, but nothing is set in stone.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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