ClutchPoints
The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the biggest deals of the 2025 NFL trade deadline. They gave up fourth and sixth-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for Jakobi Meyers in one of the biggest deals of deadline day.
The receiver was one of the best trade candidates available, and he now brings a big change to Jacksonville. The move comes a month after adding cornerback Greg Newsome in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
So, has Jacksonville’s aggressive approach been worth it?
The Jaguars are 5-3 and in second place in the AFC South. Catching the Indianapolis Colts will be a tall task, but securing a wild card spot is realistic for Jacksonville. The team has some really good wins, including back-to-back-to-back victories over the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, and Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve also suffered some bad losses, such as their blowout defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Jacksonville is good but not great, so adding pieces to improve their standing at the trade deadline made sense.
Most recently, the Jaguars bested the Raiders by one point in overtime. Meyers did enough in that game for the Jaguars to think he’d be a worthwhile addition. The former undrafted player has developed into the Raiders’ top receiver option in recent years, albeit on a Raiders team that nobody would accuse of having a great receiving corps outside of tight end Brock Bowers.
Regardless, Meyers surpassed 1,000 yards last year before requesting a trade in the offseason. That request was initially denied, but clearly, Meyers and the Raiders’ relationship was tainted, so a trade seemed inevitable. The Jaguars now have tons of potential at the receiver position. Brian Thomas established himself as a star as a rookie, as he finished his first season with the third-most receiving yards in the NFL. Thomas is undergoing a sophomore slump in which he has been plagued by a drop issue.
The Jaguars also have high hopes for the No. 2 overall pick, Travis Hunter. The expectation is that the Heisman winner will thrive on both sides of the football, but the team has prioritized his development on offense. He has also been somewhat of a disappointment so far this year, and although it seemed like he was close to turning a corner, he suffered a knee injury that recently landed him on injured reserve.
Meyers will give the Jaguars a boost while Hunter is sidelined and while Thomas figures out how to return to form. When everybody is at full strength, Trevor Lawrence will have one of the best trios of receivers to throw to in the entire league. The Jaguars’ offense has been too mediocre for too long, and this trade significantly raises their ceiling. Not to mention, the trade itself was great value because it came at a cheaper cost than the Rashid Shaheed deal, and Shaheed isn’t as complete of a receiver as Meyers is.
**Jacksonville’s pre-deadline trade was also...
