The Las Vegas Raiders played their first game without wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on Thursday Night Football in Week 10, just two days after dealing him to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the trade deadline of the 2025 NFL season.
To put it mildly, things didn't go too well. Without Meyers on the field, the Denver Broncos were able to key on Brock Bowers and neutralize him. Plus, rookies like Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. really struggled in his place, failing to support Bowers, Tyler Lockett, Tre Tucker and Michael Mayer.
Luckily, the team is in the midst of a 10-day break to figure things out. Meanwhile, Meyers had just five days to fly from Las Vegas to Jacksonville, get acquainted with his new Jaguars coaches and teammates, then turn around and travel again for a Sunday road matchup with the Houston Texans.
Jakobi Meyers sent message to Raiders teammates before Jaguars debut
Meyers made his debut for the Jaguars just days after joining the team, on his 29th birthday, no less. Before the game started, he was interviewed and asked about how he is adjusting to life in the AFC South, but Meyers took a second at the end to send a message to his former Raiders teammates.
"Shoutout to my boys in Vegas, man. It's gon turn around. Y'all boys keep playing hard. I love y'all boys, miss y'all boys."Jakobi Meyers
Even in the midst of his months-long standoff with the new regime in Las Vegas, Raider Nation never hated Jakobi Meyers. He didn't take the Davante Adams route, where he tried to publicly humiliate the team and became a distraction.
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Instead, he was incredibly forthright with his intentions and seemingly tried to make things work with John Spytek and Pete Carroll. The NFL, however, is a business at the end of the day, and despite him being open to staying in Las Vegas, Spytek dealt him to a place that he chose to go.
On Sunday, Meyers was Jacksonville's leading receiver, as he tied for a team-high 3 receptions and had a team-best 41 receiving yards. Of course, the Jaguars didn't have Brian Thomas Jr. or Travis Hunter, and they gave up 26 unanswered points to lose in the fourth quarter, but it was a strong start.
Now, the Raiders will hope that their young players can grow up quickly before a Monday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville is hoping that they can get healthy and get their new offensive star more acquainted. But it's good to know Meyers hasn't forgotten about us.