Big Cat Country
A few hours before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone executed his sixth deal this year to acquire Jakobi Meyers.
Jacksonville sent a 2026 fourth-rounder and a 2026 sixth-rounder to Las Vegas in the process. Meyers turns 29 on Sunday and is playing on an expiring contract; his value was probably worth closer to a single fourth- or fifth-round pick.
Yet it was a necessary overpay. The offense, which leads the NFL with 25 drops this season, needed a trustable target — and quickly. Four of their top five pass-catchers (Travis Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, and Brenton Strange) are in jeapordy of missing this week’s game.
The fact that Jacksonville already had 13 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft shouldn’t be a factor in analyzing this specific transaction. Throwing away trade value just because you can would be bad process. That said, it does make the overpay easier to swallow.
Here’s a list of the Jaguars’ remaining 11 draft picks in 2026.
*Las Vegas will receive the more favorable of Jacksonville’s two 4th-rounders (their own or Minnesota’s)
Meyers played with the Raiders for the past two and a half seasons, but he has quite a reputation inside the Miller Electric Center from his days with the Patriots (2019-22).
“I have followed his career closely,” head coach Liam Coen said earlier this week. “Being in the northeast myself. The Patriots, watching those guys over the years. [He’s a] former quarterback, always appreciate that really in any skill player. But the ability—tough, strong hands, has been physical as a separator in iso situations. I’ve only heard great things about the pro. [Jaguars WRs coach] Edgar [Bennett] worked with him in the past as well. So, definitely excited to have him.”
“I don’t know him super well, but Mac Jones actually texted me when we got him,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence revealed. “He texted me and said, ‘You’re going to love him. One of my favorite guys I’ve played with.’ So, he said great things about him, and I talked to Jakobi about that today; they played together for I think three years in New England. So just hearing Mac say that, and I’ve heard a lot of really positive things about him as a person, and I’ve watched him play a good bit, and I’ve always really liked his game and the way he plays, and he’s a great player.”
“When I was at Miami, we played him like twice a year when he was in New England,” defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said. “I’m like, ‘This guy is a total pain in the ass.’ He just catches everything,...
