The Las Vegas Raiders have been a drama factory over the last two decades, but especially in the 2020s since the franchise relocated to Las Vegas. It seems like no matter who is in charge or what players are in the building, things are bound to go south or sideways; anywhere but forward.
On Monday, another domino fell in that realm when star wide receiver Jakobi Meyers unexpectedlyrequested a trade. He has been in talks for a contract extension this offseason, but Raider Nation could not have predicted things coming to this, especially given how late it is in the preseason.
But, despite it feeling like the sky is falling, Meyers' tenure in Las Vegas is far from over. The team has already made it clear that they do not intend to trade the nearly 29-year-old wideout, and his trade request could easily just be a negotiation tactic.
Jakobi Meyers (hopefully) following in path of other Terry McLaurin, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson
This may feel like an extreme measure from Meyers and his camp, but there is definitely precedent for this tactic working. As recently as this offseason, in fact, Terry McLaurin, Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson all did the exact same thing.
McLaurin had wanted a new contract all offseason, and he went so far as to request a trade as well. However, on Monday, he and the Washington Commanders agreed on a deal worth up to $32 million per year, so the ongoing dispute did not diminish his value in any way.
Garrett went through a similar series of events with the Cleveland Browns at the beginning of the offseason. He even publicly criticized the team when requesting a trade, but was able to sign a record-setting deal when all was said and done.
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Hendrickson was also granted permission to seek a trade this offseason, and his saga with the Cincinnati Bengals was as long and drawn out as possible. Still, on Monday, he and the Bengals were able to reach a lucrative deal that kept him in Cincinnati this year.
It will obviously take the Raiders caving more toward Meyers' demands to make this happen, but a simple trade request is barely binding anymore. Several teams are already interested in Meyers, according to Josina Anderson, but that would require the team wanting to trade him, which they don't.
This is all to say that things are not necessarily over for Meyers in Las Vegas. The news that he requested a trade hit hard for Raider Nation, but there is still a chance that everything works out in the end, and this blip can hopefully just be water under the bridge.