After an awkward standoff that lasted for months, the Las Vegas Raiders finally parted ways with Jakobi Meyers ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Meyers is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he is reunited with wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett.
Raider Nation was proud of rookie general manager John Spytek for holding out for a better package. After initially wanting at least a Day 2 pick, Las Vegas did settle for a 4th and a 6th-rounder, but it was clearly a bidding war between the Jaguars, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills.
Meyers was not going to be on the roster next season anyway, and there was no point in waiting until 2027 for a potential compensatory pick. But as the crazy day full of trades progressed, Raiders fans couldn't help but feel confused as another inferior wide receiver garnered more in a different deal.
Raiders got less for Meyers than Saints got for Rashid Shaheed
On Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints agreed to terms on a deal for wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. The Seahawks got Shaheed, and the Saints received a 2026 4th-round pick and a 2026 5th-round pick in return.
Obviously, this is better than what the Raiders got for Meyers, even if ever-so-slightly. But it begs the question of why Las Vegas couldn't get a 5th-rounder from Jacksonville, especially considering the fact that the Jaguars have three 5th-rounders in next year's draft.
Shaheed is also not on the same level as Meyers when it comes to production. Yes, he is a year and a half younger and his extension after this season is not likely to cost as much. But both the Seahawks and Jaguars were effectively paying for rentals on these players as they make a playoff push.
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This year, Shaheed is out-producing Meyers, albeit in two more games, with 44 catches for 499 yards and 2 touchdowns, compared to Meyers' 33 catches for 352 yards and 0 touchdowns. But Meyers' track record is much, much better.
Meyers has five straight seasons of over 725 receiving yards, and Shaheed has yet to have one in his career. Meyers has also recorded 800 or more yards in four straight years and is coming off career-best 1,027 yards, and Shaheed has never sniffed this.
Based on Shaheed's connection with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, it seemed like a trade here was always in the cards. But it defies logic that the Raiders got less for Meyers, who is clearly a superior player and reportedly had a bigger, more competitive market.