The NFL Trade Deadline is Tuesday, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have made a move. The Jaguars have sent a fourth and sixth-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for Jakobi Meyers. This is a deal that will benefit both teams overall.
Meyers joined the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent following not being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Meyers spent four seasons with the Patriots. He then signed as a free agent in the spring of 2023 with the Raiders. The receiver was solid in his two full seasons with the Raiders. He brought in 71 receptions for 807 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. The NC State product followed that up with 87 receptions for 1,027 yards and four scores in 2024. He has not been at the same level this season, but could improve with the change of scenery. Meyers will now be joining Trevor Lawrence and the Jags for the rest of the season.
Jaguars trade grade
The Jaguars needed help in the receiving core to continue to contend in the AFC. The team is currently 5-3 on the year, which is good for second in the AFC South. That also places them in the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. The current top receiver on the team is Brian Thomas Jr., who has brought in 30 receptions this year for 420 yards. He has just one receiving touchdown this year.
Meanwhile, the second leading receiver is Travis Hunter, who has 298 yards and a score this year. Hunter is on IR with a knee injury. Meyers has brought in 800 yards and four touchdowns in each of his last three seasons. That will give Lawrence another option to throw to and help ease the pain of losing Hunter.
Still, this is a rental player. The Jaguars gave up two draft picks for a player who will be a free agent at the end of the season. While he will help in the short term, it was a high price to pay for the rental. It had been reported that multiple teams were interested in trading for Meyers, which could have driven up the price. They could recoup some of the cost if Meyers walks in free agency in the form of a compensatory selection.
The Jaguars' front office felt it was worth the driven-up price to get another receiver. Considering that the team is just one game up in the wild-card standings on the Kansas City Chiefs, they needed to find a way to get receiver help. If Meyers is a factor in getting the Jaguars to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, then the trade was worth it. If not, the Jags will have lost two draft picks for nothing.
Jaguars trade grade: B-
Raiders trade grade
Before the season, Meyers had requested a trade from the Raiders. He was in search of a long-term contract with the team, but was not given one by the team. This could lead to the conclusion that Meyers would be leaving the team after the season. The Raiders got two draft picks, including a fourth-round pick for an expiring contract.
Further, they got two picks for a player who has had a slight regression of a season so far. He has just 33 receptions for 352 yards and has yet to score this year. Moreover, he has been below 40 yards receiving in each of his last four games. He will get a chance to rescue his season and be on a team contending for a playoff spot.
The Raiders' season is not going to result in a playoff berth. The team is just 2-6, and in last place in the division. The team also still has four games against division opponents, all of whom are in the playoff race. They also have a road game against the Philadelphia Eagles later in the season. With the season lost, it was time to think of the future. The future was likely not going to have Meyers, so they got value for him.
Beyond just the draft picks, the Raiders are in a solid spot with the salary cap in the future. The Raiders are expected to have over $100 million in cap space next year. This is to go with their multiple draft picks in 2026. They also got better value than could be expected from Meyers. While the wide receiver is a solid player, he was not worth two draft picks, but by leveraging other teams against each other, that is exactly what they got. This is not a move that will change the trajectory of the franchise, but it was a solid deal for the team.
Radiers trade grade: B+
