Raiders trade WR Jakobi Meyers to Jaguars for picks: Sources

The Las Vegas Raiders have traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for fourth- and sixth-round picks, league sources said Tuesday.

Meyers initially requested a trade in August, when he and the Raiders were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract. In October, Meyers told reporters he remained firm in that request. The 28-year-old was in the final year of a three-year deal worth $33 million that he signed in 2023 with Las Vegas.

Meyers’ final game with the Raiders was against the Jaguars on Sunday, a game in which he recorded four catches for 23 yards in a Jacksonville win. Before the game, he made a point of saying hello to Tony Boselli, the Jags’ executive vice president of football operations. Boselli’s son, Adam, was Meyers’ teammate at North Carolina State. Meyers also casually chatted up Jags coach Liam Coen at the game’s end.

Meyers signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2019 and led the team in receiving yards for three straight seasons before signing with Las Vegas. He should elevate the offense in Jacksonville with his experience and consistency.

Meyers recorded a career best 1,027 receiving yards last season — the first in which he surpassed the 1,000 mark. He has recorded at least 800 receiving yards for the last four years.

Meyers has averaged 65.5 receptions and 765.3 yards over his six full seasons with 20 career touchdown receptions (plus another two rushing scores). He’s topped the 700-yard mark every season since his second year in the league. This year, Meyers has 33 catches for 352 yards. He missed the Raiders’ loss against the Kansas City Chiefs because of knee and toe injuries, but isn’t expected to miss more time.

The Raiders’ offense has struggled in its first season with quarterback Geno Smith and coach Pete Carroll. Third-year receiver Tre Tucker has emerged as their top option as tight end Brock Bowers has battled a knee injury that forced him to miss three games before he returned Sunday against the Jaguars.

Why this makes sense for both team

Now with a healthy Bowers — who had three touchdown catches Sunday — and Michael Mayer, the Raiders have shifted into a 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends, two receivers) team. In Bowers’ first game back, the Raiders lined up in 12 personnel on 58 percent of snaps. Tucker gives them much-needed speed and they love his potential, which makes Meyers expendable. Also, Meyers plays primarily from the slot, where Bowers dominates.

For the Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence gets his most dependable weapon. The Jaguars have the lowest conversion rate on catchable targets. Meyers didn’t drop a pass last year. The compensation for Meyers was a little higher than expected, too. This feels like a win/win for both teams. — Ted Nguyen, NFL staff writer

Fantasy impact

With the Meyers trade, Parker Washington slides back from the top waiver wire ranking spot. The matchup this week is tough (Houston Texans). Assuming this means Brian Thomas is out for multiple weeks, Washington will rank slightly ahead of Meyers in Week 10 but behind him rest of the season. Going forward, Meyers will be a WR3/4 with a nice floor with Washington volume-reliant and a slighlty higher ceiling. Both will have some matchup-reliant potential. — Jake Ciely, senior writer

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