The Las Vegas Raiders had a chance to turn their season around in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a win, they would have been victorious in two of their last three contests and moved to 3-5, sitting at just 2.5 games out of the playoff picture.
But a loss put them at 2-6, and it is clear that this team is not salvaging anything during the 2025 NFL season. Despite wanting to remain competitive, with the trade deadline coming up on Tuesday, the Raiders need to be honest with themselves and start building toward the future.
Jakobi Meyers' name has been constantly swirling in trade rumors ever since he officially requested a trade from the team before the season. But Las Vegas' loss on Sunday, combined with what else transpired around the NFL, perfectly set up his exit before Tuesday's deadline.
Jakobi Meyers may be out the door after Raiders' loss to Jaguars
In the loss to the Jaguars, Meyers recorded 4 catches for 23 yards. Yes, it was his first game back after three weeks off, as he missed the Raiders' game before the bye due to a knee and toe injury. But Brock Bowers looked light-years better in his Week 9 return after missing well over a month.
To make matters worse, backup tight end Michael Mayer got more targets than Meyers did, and third-year wideout Tre Tucker has emerged as a more productive target for quarterback Geno Smith. Tucker has one fewer catch but 75 more receiving yards and 4 more receiving touchdowns in 2025.
On Sunday, Tucker once again did more with less, as he recorded 15 more receiving yards than Meyers despite having one fewer catch and two fewer targets. Meyers does not want to be in Las Vegas, the Raiders don't plan on re-signing him, and his production is not exactly irreplaceable.
He just hasn't gotten on the same page as Smith this year, which makes it even more likely that Meyers could be traded. Plus, with the Raiders not going anywhere, it doesn't make sense to hold on to him and let him walk next offseason without surefire compensation in return.
There are several wide receiver-needy teams that are competing for something this season, and that was incredibly evident on Sunday. The New England Patriots are a common place that Meyers is projected to land, and they showed that they needed his help in Week 9.
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Outside of Stefon Diggs, only DeMario Douglas stepped up for New England, but he has been inconsistent, at best, this season. With Kayshon Boutte now hurt and rookie Kyle Williams not giving the Patriots anything, they could easily be willing to pony up for a veteran like Meyers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could also use help, as only one of their top six leaders in receiving yards on Sunday was a wide receiver. D.K. Metcalf and Roman Wilson combined for 3 catches and 10 receiving yards, and Calvin Austin III led the way with 5 catches for 56 yards, which is not exactly dominant.
This could also be said for the Buffalo Bills, who, outside of Khalil Shakir's 7 catches for 43 yards, only had one wide receiver get more than a single target. Keon Coleman caught both of his targets for 17 yards, and Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel and Tyrell Shavers combined for 3 catches for 41 yards.
New England, Pittsburgh and Buffalo all earned great wins in Week 9, but the product on the field, especially at the wide receiver position, left plenty to be desired. With Meyers' role and production evaporating in Las Vegas, the Raiders should get what they can for Meyers from one of these teams.
Their devastating loss to the Jaguars on Sunday was the perfect encapsulation of the fact that they are not going anywhere in 2025 with the pieces that they have. But they are just a few players away from being a different team, and getting a solid draft pick could go a long way in getting to another level in Las Vegas.