As the Las Vegas Raiders emerge from their bye week, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers' days in the Silver and Black seem to be numbered. He still hasn't gotten the contract extension he wanted this offseason, and plenty of contending teams are in the market for a wide receiver.
Meyers also clearly wants out, which makes a move inevitable before the November 4 trade deadline. Plus, the Raiders, somewhat randomly, signed another veteran wide receiver in Tyler Lockett, on Monday morning.
The proverbial skids are now even further greased for Meyers to be traded. It may not happen until closer to the trade deadline, since deadlines drive action, but if it doesn't happen, it won't be because general manager John Spytek's phone wasn't buzzing.
Lincoln Kennedy puts a finer point on Jakobi Meyers trade talk
On a recent episode of the Locked on Raiders Podcast Squad Show, former All-Pro Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy talked about the inevitability that Meyers will be traded.
"For me, the sign was clear as day when I saw he scratched from the Kansas City game, when he was on the sideline of the Kansas City game," Kennedy said. "I know they were talking about his knee and stuff like that, but … He went out to warm up, and then they didn’t clear him, and they scratched him from there, put him on the inactive roster. So I think Jakobi Meyers is likely to go.”
The idea that the Raiders held Meyers out of the game against the Chiefs in Week 7 to protect his trade value is not new. But Kennedy went a step further by adding a detailed layer to the trade talk around Meyers and a certain suitor.
"There are teams that are buying right now," Kennedy said. "Pittsburgh is known to look for receivers. There’s a possibility, I’ve heard rumors, there might be a fourth-round pick for that trade.”
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The Steelers have been consistently attached to Meyers in trade rumors. They are in a clear-cut win-now window with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, and being without a playoff win since 2016 adds another layer of urgency to their situation.
More than any other possible suitor for Meyers, the Raiders have leverage that they can exploit in trade talks with Pittsburgh. Although at first glance, a fourth-round pick lands as an unimpressive return in a trade for Meyers.
But he may just be a rental for an acquiring team, so a fourth-rounder or late-Day 2 pick might be as good as it gets. That said, maybe the Steelers specifically can be squeezed to give up a third-rounder, or conditions can be put on the pick from them that would boost a fourth-rounder to a third-rounder.