The Las Vegas Raiders have been a trainwreck to begin the 2025 NFL season, and the wheels appeared to fall off completely in Week 5. After starting the season 1-4 and ranking in the bottom half of just about every important metric, there's already not much to salvage from this campaign.
The roster has been filled with disappointments to begin the year, with none bigger than the offense. Fans were expecting this group to be much-improved under Chip Kelly thanks to the additions of Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty and other promising young players. But that has not been the case at all.
Smith leads the league with nine interceptions and has received plenty of criticism for his poor play. But there is another veteran on the offense whose poor performance has seemingly flown under the radar despite begging for a new contract before the season began: Jakobi Meyers.
Jakobi Meyers has not shown up for the Raiders this season
Meyers has been a reliable option in the passing game since joining the Raiders ahead of the 2023 season. He had the best year of his career in 2024, as he finished with 1,027 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 87 receptions, despite missing two games.
Ahead of the third and final year on his contract, the former undrafted free agent made it clear that he hoped to receive a new deal from the team's leadership, which is something most of the fanbase felt he had earned. They opted not to give him a contract extension, making him prove his value to them, and Meyers requested a trade, which was not granted.
It appeared that Meyers had proved them wrong in Week 1, as he finished with 97 receiving yards on eight receptions in his first game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium as a visitor. But he has had hardly any impact in the time since.
From Weeks 2 to 4, he had just 13 receptions for 161 yards. While his 258 total yards entering Week 5 put him on pace for another 1,000-yard season, his impact had not been felt at all. The Raiders have needed him to step up with Brock Bowers hindered by injury, but he has yet to.
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That continued against the Indianapolis Colts, as he was largely quiet until the game was out of reach. In fact, there was a period in the fourth quarter where he had just 11 receiving yards, and Colts backup quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. had nine.
Meyers added some garbage time stats, as he finished with 32 receiving yards on four receptions. However, it has now been back-to-back weeks where he has finished with 32 yards or less. His numbers still put him on pace for a solid season, but his Week 1 performance and late-game stat-padding heavily skew this projection.
Furthermore, his impact has been next to nothing, as there have been long stretches where the former undrafted free agent has been invisible on the field. It is unclear if Las Vegas plans on retaining the wide receiver, but he must be better if he hopes to salvage any chances of a big-money deal.
In reality, this relationship is likely heading toward a divorce, either at the trade deadline or next offseason when he hits the open market. If things continue like this for Meyers, then Raider Nation won't even be mad at the new regime for not extending him, as his play has absolved them of blame.