The Las Vegas Raiders got ahead of the curve when they extended superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby earlier this offseason. Since Crosby signed his deal, the market for edge rushers has climbed to $47 million, meaning the team saved almost $12 million by striking a deal early.
While the new regime in Las Vegas did the same thing with punter A.J. Cole, they dragged their feet a bit with left tackle Kolton Miller. They ultimately struck a fair enough deal with Miller, but the same cannot be said about wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Meyers has been wanting a contract extension all offseason, but talks have apparently stalled. The star wideout requested a trade at the end of last month, and while he is being the consummate professional and plans to play, another wrench was thrown into things on Saturday.
Lions' Jameson Williams extension complicates things for Raiders
Just one night before the 2025 NFL season commenced, the Detroit Lions reached an extension with wide receiver Jameson Williams, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The deal is for three years and worth up to $83 million, $67 million of which is guaranteed.
Unfortunately, this will likely drive Meyers' price up even more, which was seemingly a contentious point already. Williams and Meyers are certainly different players with almost opposite styles, but their production and roles are essentially the same.
Williams is the No. 2 option in the passing game in Detroit, but he just burst onto the scene with his first-ever 1,000-yard season in the NFL. Meyers is also the second option in Las Vegas behind Brock Bowers, and he just recorded 1,000 receiving yards for the first time at the professional level as well.
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If the Raiders had gotten a deal done earlier in the offseason, they could have paid Meyers around $22 million per year, and both sides would have been satisfied. However, after two similarly talented receivers like Williams and Courtland Sutton received $27.7 million and $24 million, respectively, things dramatically changed.
The easy and immediate fix would be for Las Vegas to use some of its $26 million in salary cap space to bump Meyers' pay for the 2025 season and kick the can down the road. That way, Meyers is content this season, and it buys time for the Raiders before he tests the open market next offseason.
Detroit's big extension for Williams was well-deserved, but it only further complicated things for Meyers and the Raiders. Hopefully, some kind of deal gets done that pleases both sides; otherwise, it could be another ugly exit for a wideout in the Silver and Black.