The Raiders inked Jakobi Meyers’ back in 2022 to a 3 year, 33 million contract and the Raiders couldn’t be more pleased with the return Meyers has given them. Meyers posted 71 rec, 807 yards, and 8 TD in 2023 as the Raiders primary second WR to Davante Adams. Meyers caught 11 contested catches (52.4%) and did drop 5 targets (5.3%). Both marks in 2023 were below his career averages of 62.8% on contested catches on 3.6% on drops. In 2024, Meyers was still slated to be the Raiders second WR, after a rough
start to the season the team moved on from veteran superstar Davante Adams and relied on Meyers to be their top receiving target after Brock Bowers. Meyers didn’t disappoint posting 1027 yards and four touchdowns on 87 receptions while also not recording a single drop and adding a 66.7% contested catch rate (16 contested catches).
The 6’2, 210 former UDFA from NC State, Meyers was just one of three NFL WRs last season to post over 1000 yards, have a 4% or lower drop rate, and a 55% or higher contested catch rate. When you expand that to lower than 5% drop rate, Meyers was still just one of eight wide receivers to accomplish those feats. The Raiders WR also ranked 32nd in yac/reception, 18th in targets, and 19th in first downs. Meyers accomplish these despite having three different quarterbacks, and arguably what was the worst passing attack in football. On targets 0-10 yards from the LOS Meyers was 4th in yards, 7th in receptions, and 3rd in contested catch rate, when expanding to 20+ yard targets Meyers was 11th in receptions, 1st in contested catches, and 15th in yards/reception. Meyers has seen steady consistent success and he’s shown the ability to be a “wide receiver 1” in the NFL. While he’s not the same player as many other elite top wide receivers, it’s arguably that he’s a top 25 receiver in the NFL, and at only 28 (turning 29 in November), Meyers has a lot left in his tank. The Raiders will deploy the best quarterback play that Meyers will have in his Raiders tenure in 2025 though they’ll also likely have the most talented offense at the same time. The Raiders did draft Jack Bech in the 2nd round and Bech compares favorably to Meyers in a lot of aspects, which could signal the end for his time in Vegas. Additionally, Tre Tucker and Dont’e Thornotn have made strides as young players and with Thornton potentially being a top rookie WR this season there’s a youth swing potentially happening in Las Vegas.
2026 Market Preview:
The 2026 WR market is deep with notable names such as Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk, TuTu Atwell, Rashid Shaheed, George Pickens, Jauan Jennings, Romeo Doubs, and Alec Pierce slated to hit the open market. It’s likely that Evans and Samuel will end up re-signing with their respective teams but after those a case can be made that Meyers is the best option available along with Cowboys’ George Pickens. Currently Meyers is projected to receive a 3 year, 63M contract at 43M guaranteed which would put him as the 23rd highest paid WR around the likes of Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and Davante Adams in terms of AAV (ironic I know). At 29 years old, Meyers would be the youngest of those receivers and also one of the top young options on the market as well. Las Vegas could consider getting an extension done with Meyers, which would likely allow them to get him slightly below market value. It remains to be seen if the Raiders will start negotiations with Meyers after not engaging in talks during the summer and training camp. While Las Vegas may not have a ton of interest in getting a contract done, other teams will be extremely interested in getting something done in the open market if things get there.
