The Las Vegas Raiders granted wide receiver Jakobi Meyers his wish on Tuesday just hours before the NFL trade deadline. After a standoff that lasted for several months, Meyers is now a Jacksonville Jaguar, at least for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season.
Winds of change are now blowing hard in Las Vegas, as the team seemingly accepted the fact that they are not competing for anything this season. The 4th and 6th-round picks that they got in return for Meyers should go a long way in helping the Raiders create a brighter future.
But in the meantime, the trade of Meyers will cause a ripple effect throughout the building. Time will truly tell who the real winners and losers are from this trade, but in the immediate aftermath, these five stick out as the most obvious to fall into the aforementioned categories.
Winners and losers from Raiders' Jakobi Meyers trade
Winners
1. Tre Tucker
Tucker is now the de-facto No. 1 wide receiver in Las Vegas, if he wasn't already. His emergence may have been the final thing that the Raiders needed to see to part ways with Meyers, and now, with him in Jacksonville, Tucker should be the undisputed second target in the offense behind Brock Bowers.
2. Rookie WRs
Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. have had inconsistent roles all season, but the combination of Meyers, Tucker and Tyler Lockett pushed them from the lineup entirely. Now, with Meyers out of the building, both of these rookies have a clear path to more playing time.
3. John Spytek
Spytek is showing a lot of talent in his first year as a general manager. In this instance, he was patient, played the market and got a great return for a player that wasn't going to be on next year's roster. This was a major step in showing that he is in charge in Las Vegas, which Raider Nation wants to see.
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Losers
1. Geno Smith
Smith did not have a great rapport with Meyers, but he has vocalized how difficult it is to play with rookie or inexperienced wide receivers. Now, with Meyers gone, the supposed No. 2 option on the offense will be no longer, and Bech and Thornton should see an increased role.
2. Pete Carroll
Carroll said on Monday that the Raiders wouldn't do anything to ding the present and start focusing on the future. Well, that comment has come back to bite him. Trading Meyers is an obvious play for the future, and it seems like the veteran coach might not have as much control in Las Vegas as he thought.