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Nov 24, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (29) tackles Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

One Key Factor Could Make a Broncos-Raiders WR Trade Realistic

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 4:49 PM ET

The Denver Broncos have been heavily linked to the tight end and wide receiver market as the NFL trade deadline rapidly approaches. Teams have until 2 p.m. MDT on Tuesday, November 4 to make a trade.

The Broncos kicked the bushes this week, working out some tight ends and ultimately signing the 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis to the practice squad. He's long in the tooth, but he can block and still pose a plausible receiving threat.

What about wide receiver, though? The rumor mill has run rampant that the Broncos are searching for vertical speed ahead of the deadline.

Jakobi Meyers: Smoke or Fire?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler didn't exactly link the Broncos to Jakobi Meyers, but he connected the dots, in the sense that Denver is "believed to be" hunting for receiver help while the Las Vegas Raiders' wideout wants out of Sin City.

"Several teams are believed to be in the receiver market, most notably the Steelers and possibly the Broncos and Bills. Meyers clearly wants out, and the Raiders are in a transitional phase. They just signed veteran Tyler Lockett, which could ease the loss of dealing Meyers. Pittsburgh is keeping tabs on this one but is prepared to be patient, too. If I had to predict a destination right now, I'd say the Steelers," Fowler wrote.

Raiders' Front Office Full of Ex-Broncos

Worth pointing out here is the exceedingly rare cases of teams making trades within the division. The Broncos and Raiders are not only AFC West foes, but their division rivalry is one of the NFL's most storied and iconic.

However, the Raiders' front office has been rebuilt in the image of the Broncos, with several key executives, including GM John Spytek, formerly being part of Denver's scouting department. Spytek was a scout under former GM John Elway during the Peyton Manning years.

Brian Stark, the Raiders' assistant general manager, was one of Elway's righthand guys for years, and he stayed on afterward when the Broncos hired George Paton as GM. Stark spent 13 years with the Broncos spanning the Elway and Paton regimes, and was even interviewed for the GM job when Elway stepped down in January of 2021. Paton got the gig.

Raiders senior vice present of football operations and strategy, Mark Thewes, spent the previous 16 years with the Broncos, most recently as Denver's vice president of football operations and compliance (2020-2024). What am I getting at?

The Broncos and Raiders are rivals, yes, and that significantly decreases the odds of a trade, but the front offices know each other well and are ostensibly friendly. So that opens the trade window of possibility a bit wider.

What Meyers Brings

Meyers would give the Broncos an option to complement what they have cooking currently with their top three receivers, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant. Marvin Mims Jr. offers top-end speed, but isn't as polished a receiver as Meyers is.

Meyers has a high football IQ, is a savvy route runner, and has excellent hands. At 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, though, I'm not sure he checks a box that the Broncos don't currently have. It would cost more than a late-round pick swap to land him, per Fowler, and I'm skeptical he'd be worth the price.

The seventh-year pro has 29 receptions for 329 yards and zero touchdowns this season. Meyers has been squandered in the Raiders' offense, despite coming off the only 1,000-yard receiving season of his career.

Meyers' Salary

A former undrafted free agent, Meyers is in a contract year, which makes him a bit more attractive. He's making a base salary of $10.5 million this season, half of which has been paid out entering Week 9.

The Broncos have just over $5 million in available salary-cap space, so it would take some tweaking to fit Meyers in the books. But when it comes to the salary cap, the Broncos know how to conjure up some of that 'voodoo.'

And the Broncos do have two 2026 fourth-round picks. Would Meyers be worth a fourth-round pick, knowing that he could be gone next spring? I have my doubts.

Don't Count On a Trade

Fowler would go on to emphasize that Denver could be looking at upgrading several spots, perhaps none more so than wide receiver, but the NFL insider isn't "convinced" the Broncos make a move before the trade deadline.

"Denver also has my attention. The Broncos have evaluated multiple spots, including offensive guard (with Ben Powers out) and the skill positions (either tight end or wide receiver). While I'm not convinced the Broncos will make a bold move, ideally Denver would like more of a classic, field-stretching receiving option to offset the skill sets already in place while also adding veteran experience," Fowler wrote.

The Broncos have been linked to other wide receivers, including the New Orleans Saints' duo of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but especially the latter. Sean Payton remains on great terms with Saints GM Mickey Loomis, and the two teams consummated a trade over the summer that sent wide receiver Devaughn Vele to the Bayou.

The Broncos have an offensive arsenal that's beginning to blossom. This offense is beginning to coalesce, and while the Broncos have positioned themselves to be playoff contenders down the stretch, Meyers isn't the missing piece to put them over the hump, and neither is Shaheed, frankly.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said on his podcast earlier this week that he expects the trade market to catch fire after Week 9's slate of games. The NFL will be in the final week before the November 4 deadline, so even though teams have already begun to deal, if the Broncos maneuver, it might not be until next week.

Stay tuned.