NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers recently met with the team brass and requested to be traded. The Raiders and Meyers attempted to negotiate a new contract, but couldn’t agree on terms. According to Rapoport, the Raiders have no plan to trade Meyers.
The San Francisco 49ers were interested in Meyers last year. Michael Silver, of The San Francisco Chronicle at the time, reported that the Niners inquired about Meyers’ availability:
I’ve since learned
from sources inside and outside the building that the 49ers reached out to numerous other teams in attempts to land a replacement for Aiyuk, sometimes exploring transactions with far lower marquee value.
For example, the Raiders, who are believed to be receptive to stockpiling picks in anticipation of positioning themselves to draft a quarterback next spring, were approached about dealing starting receiver Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders rebuffed S.F.’s overtures for the sixth-year veteran, who caught 71 passes for 807 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.
Acquiring a player of Meyers’ caliber as Aiyuk’s ostensible replacement might not have moved the needle, but clearly Shanahan and Lynch were ready to move on. Then, that Thursday at 8:15 a.m., Aiyuk showed up unexpectedly in Shanahan’s office and gave indications that finalizing a contract with the Niners was viable.
The 49ers wanted Meyers under different circumstances last season. However, you could argue that the wide receiver situation for the 49ers is more dire heading into Week 1 this year.
We know Brandon Aiyuk won’t play. We don’t know if Jauan Jennings will be ready. Demarcus Robinson is suspended for three games. Jacob Cowing is out for six weeks. Jordan Watkins is still out with a high-ankle sprain. Russell Gage is also still out. Outside of Ricky Pearsall, good luck figuring out who the other three receivers are who would take the field. The process of elimination brings you to Robbie Chosen and Skyy Moore.
A plethora of injuries at wide receiver should be even more of a reason for the 49ers to call the Raiders and ask about Meyers.
Can the 49ers afford Meyers?
Meyers signed a three-year deal in 2023. His contract is void after this season. Depending on how much the Raiders would be willing to eat of Meyers’s contract, he’d cost around $7 million in 2025, per Over the Cap. San Francisco has enough cap space to take on a contract like Meyers. However, it’d likely be a one-year rental.
The team has shown they’re reluctant to extend Jennings. The future at the position is Pearsall and Aiyuk. Meyers, 29, would be a fix for this season. Then again, if Kyle Shanahan values Meyers and wants to extend him at his current contract, San Francisco could actually save over $7 million per season in the next three years if they extended Meyers.
That’d be a tough pill for Jennings to swallow if it played out like that, as it means Jennings’ time as a Niner is likely over after this year.
Is Meyers a scheme fit?
Meyers didn’t play on any special teams units last season. He lined up outside at wide receiver for 591 snaps, and played 299 snaps in the slot. Meyers caught 87 passes last season and 71 the year before. Last season, Meyers had five different games where he had at least seven receptions. When you remember who was throwing him the ball, those numbers become even more impressive.
Meyers is automatic on throws underneath ten yards. Last season, Meyers caught 81.5 percent of his passes on 65 targets. Honestly, he excelled at every level. Best of all, he’s as reliable a wideout as it gets. Meyers knows where to be and catches everything.
There are quite a few similarities between Meyers and Jennings. I’d argue that Meyers is better near the goal line and after the catch. You can probably trust Meyers down the field more than you can with Jennings, too.
From separation to creating after the catch and coming up with difficult catches, it’s easy to see why the Niners would be intrigued by a player like Meyers. He’s the type of wideout that would thrive in Shanahan’s offense with Brock Purdy under center.
The question always comes back to cost. Is Meyers worth $7-ish million for one season? When you look at the state of the Niners’ wide receiver room, the answer becomes obvious. Are the Raiders willing to entertain the idea of trading Meyers? That’s all that matters.
