Prior to the NFL trade deadline passing on Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders had found themselves in plenty of rumors over the course of a few weeks.
Obviously, the one big move the Raiders did make was when they dealt wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets, reuniting him with Aaron Rodgers. But, there were many speculating over whether or not the Raiders would decide to make more moves before Tuesday's deadline.
Among rumored names was, in fact, defensive end Maxx Crosby. There was no chance the Raiders were ever going to trade Crosby, even though some outlets loved the pre-deadline fodder. It simply wasn't in the cards. He wasn't for sale.
But, one other player looked like he could have been a prime trade target for teams that were in need at wide receiver. Adams' previous running mate, Jakobi Meyers, was mentioned often in trade circles as well.
And, with some teams still needing pass catchers, he very well could have made another organization very happy. But, the Raiders opted to keep him in Las Vegas, which surprised some, including ESPN insider Dan Graziano.
In his latest column covering the aftermath of the trade deadline, Graziano and Jeremy Fowler shared a lot of insight on what they learned, including the Raiders keeping Meyers.
"I'm also a little surprised that the Raiders didn't move wide receiver Jakobi Meyers," Graziano noted.
Should the Raiders have traded Jakobi Meyers?
On one hand, it is somewhat surprising the Raiders didn't trade Meyers. He'd have been an attractive option for a team looking for a stud WR2 which wanted to make a postseason run.
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However, it also made sense for them to keep him around. Meyers is still only 27 years old and has a year left on his current contract. The Raiders' offense and, specifically the quarterback position, is no where near a finished product. Meyers, though, is a very good player.
He's been underrated for most of his career, but as the team's de facto no. 1 wide receiver now, Meyers will hang around until this team goes out and gets another bonafide option to pair with him.
The other question you'd have to ask is, what would the Raiders have gotten for Meyers? With the way wide receiver trades had looked recently, my assumption would have been nothing more than a fourth-round pick.
And, for a productive, savvy veteran wide receiver, that's not necessarily good enough for the Raiders to have said "yes" to.
Hopefully, the 2025 offseason sees this franchise not only get their quarterback solved, but also find another top-notch wide receiver option to add to the mix.