The Las Vegas Raiders' ongoing contract dispute with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is not going away anytime soon. The veteran wideout either wants more money and long-term security or a change of scenery, but the team still wants him to finish out his contract before they reassess.
Of course, these two things cannot coexist, so this relationship is all but certain to be headed for a divorce. And while the Raiders won in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, they are still not likely to be going anywhere fast during the 2025 NFL season.
Unless Geno Smith makes an unbelievable turnaround, this team is looking at another year or two until they are true competitors. That means valuable assets may be offloaded near the trade deadline with this timeline in mind, and Meyers is the obvious name that sticks out as a candidate.
Steelers' desire for WR could spark Raiders' Jakobi Meyers trade
ESPN's Adam Schefter even said as much late last week, as he included Meyers on a list of players that NFL executives and general managers felt could be available at the trade deadline. There will obviously be suitors for him, but one place may seem a bit more obvious than others.
Schefter also reported on Monday's edition of The Pat McAfee Show that the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the market for a wide receiver, and Meyers is, by far, the most appealing option among the potentially available players that Schefter listed.
Pittsburgh not only has all of its own selections during the 2026 NFL Draft, but it picked up an additional third-rounder when it traded away George Pickens. This gives them a bit more flexibility to make deals at the deadline, and a mid-round pick is likely to be the asking price for Meyers.
Trading him within the AFC is not optimal, but clearly, the new regime in Las Vegas does not think enough of him to pay him, so they likely have no quarrels about keeping him in the conference. Plus, the Steelers making this trade lines up with their timeline perfectly.
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Not only is Pittsburgh sitting comfortably atop the AFC North at 4-1, but with an aging quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, who is on a one-year deal, it is now or never for the Steelers. Trading for Meyers would be a win-now move, and he could be the missing piece for them.
While they already have a true No. 1 wideout in D.K. Metcalf and an emerging field-stretcher in Calvin Austin III, Meyers would be another trusty veteran who can eat underneath and open up the offense entirely. He could be Rodgers' best friend on the field and elevate the entire group.
The Steelers have so many free agents set to hit the open market after this season, and therefore available salary cap space, that they could theoretically afford an extension for Meyers as well, if he were to play well on a one-year rental.
Meyers is clearly an integral part of the Raiders' game plan, but he has been outshone by Tre Tucker this season. With several young wideouts emerging in Las Vegas, Meyers letting it be known that he's unhappy, and the Raiders not in a window to compete, trading the veteran receiver feels plausible.
Our best guess at the exact price for Meyers would be a conditional fourth-round pick, which could turn into a third-rounder based on certain stipulations. This is likely to be better than what Las Vegas could earn via the compensatory pick formula, so Pittsburgh is as logical a landing spot as any.