The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the worst offenses in the league in 2024, as they ranked 29th in scoring offense and 27th in total yards. One of the few positives was that they were one of two teams to have two pass catchers finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
While Brock Bowers has rightfully received plenty of praise for his record-setting rookie season that resulted in a first-team All-Pro nod, Jakobi Meyers' performance has largely gone under the radar outside of Raider Nation.
Despite missing two games, sharing targets with Bowers and Davante Adams early on, and poor quarterback play from the trio of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder, he finished with 1,027 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 87 receptions.
Raiders should not move Jakobi Meyers for the reported asking price
Meyers ranked tied for 12th among wide receivers in receptions and 17th in yards in 2024, while impressively finishing with zero drops. Despite having just one year remaining on his contract, he has not received an extension as Week 1 rapidly approaches.
The lack of long-term security and contract negotiations reportedly breaking down led the Raiders' lead wideout to request a trade on Monday. While the franchise revealed they have no plans to move him, Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported a potential return for Meyers on his First and 10 podcast.
"It'll be a third-round pick for him," Bonsignore said. "I don't think the Raiders are going to trade him for anything less. ... If you let him walk, you're probably going to get a third or a fourth-round pick as a (compensatory) pick."
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The Raiders should have no interest in dealing Meyers for a third-round pick. Pete Carroll has preached that the organization is looking to compete in 2025, and they will need as much talent as possible in order to do that.
Additionally, if they don't see Meyers as a long-term fit, Las Vegas could allow him to walk in free agency next year and receive similar compensation in the form of a compensatory pick. His production will be too difficult to replace at this stage of the offseason, and a small boost in draft value is not worth moving the wideout.
Ideally, the two sides will be able to find a middle ground before the start of the season and put all the trade chatter to bed. Meyers has not indicated that he is the type of player to hold out, as he went through training camp and the preseason without a long-term deal.
He even was on hand at practice Tuesday despite his trade request, which spurred general manager John Spytek to call him the "consummate professional." For now, the request seems like a negotiation tactic more than a true desire to leave the Raiders, but if he does get traded, Las Vegas will need more than a third-rounder in return.