Jakobi Meyers had the best season of his career in 2024, as he crossed the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time while adding 4 touchdowns and a career-high 87 receptions. He was hoping to turn this into a long-term extension with the Las Vegas Raiders, as his previous contract had only one year remaining.
Instead, the new regime wanted him to prove it on the field, leading the seven-year veteran to request a trade. While they did not initially move him, the Raiders finally honored Meyers' wishes ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline by sending him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 4th and 6th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Although his production was much worse than last season and had tapered off significantly over his past four games played, his departure does create a void in Las Vegas' offense. Chip Kelly revealed how the team plans to replace him.
Raiders OC Chip Kelly reveals his plans for replacing Jakobi Meyers after trade
Meyers had 33 receptions for 352 yards through seven games, ranking first and tied for second on the team, respectively. While his production had dipped in recent weeks -- just 16 receptions for 124 yards in his past four games -- he represented another player that opposing defenses had to game plan for to have success against.
Kelly shared how Las Vegas will replace the veteran wideout during his Tuesday media availability.
"Well, it's got to be multiple guys. Jakobi was such an impact player for us, so I wish him the best. He was a great practice player, and I enjoyed coaching him," Kelly said. "He's a heck of a kid, but you've got some other receivers, they're going to have to pick it up, and then you move on. The way you look at it sometimes is we have to approach it as (if) it's like a player got hurt, he's out of the game, then what do you do? It's the next guy's up, so (Tyler) Lockett and (Jack) Bech and Dont'e (Thornton Jr.) and those guys will have to step up, and we'll go from there."
Clearly, it is going to take a group effort for the Raiders to replace Meyers. But it would have been nice for fans to hear that the young players are going to get a bigger opportunity, instead of Kelly not rocking the boat and making an obvious statement that multiple players will get a chance.
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Kelly made it clear that he had nothing to do with the trade, but trusts Pete Carroll and John Spytek. He added that his sole focus is on preparing for Thursday's matchup with the Denver Broncos. The Raiders' offensive coordinator was later asked about the similarities between Meyers and Bech.
"I don't compare anybody to anybody, so I don't see any similarities between that," Kelly said. "I think everybody is their own individual. So, I've never looked at a player and said, 'This guy reminds me of that guy'. It's just what is that guy's strengths and what are his weaknesses, and how do you lean into the strengths and improve the weaknesses is what we do in terms of the development of a player."
While Kelly claimed that he doesn't compare players, he infamously compared Jordan Meredith to Jason Kelce heading into the Raiders' Week 4 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
He also noted that Bech will likely get a few more snaps in practice; however, he made it clear that he just found out about the Meyers trade and has to quickly adjust ahead of Thursday's game.
Tre Tucker figures to step into the lead wide receiver role, while Brock Bowers will remain the top weapon in the passing game. Fans are hopeful that Bech and Thornton Jr. will have a much bigger role than Lockett going forward after the rookie duo did not register a single offensive snap between them in Week 9.