Don’t Rule Out a Vikings Trade for One Stud WR
The Las Vegas Raiders scored a win over the lowly Tennessee Titans over the weekend, but one of their prominent playmakers could be on the trade block: wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Jakobi Meyers may be on his way out via trade, and it wouldn’t be totally mind-boggling for the Vikings to end up with him.
Meyers is a productive wideout, and with the Minnesota Vikings lacking a truly consistent WR3, Minnesota swinging a deal for Meyers would not be too out of left field.
Vikings Could Put Jakobi Meyers to Good Use
Meyers can probably be acquired via trade for a 4th- or 5th-Round draft pick.
Jakobi Meyers Could Be Traded in Next 3 Weeks
Meyers made it known during the summer that he’d rather leave Las Vegas via trade. Nothing came of the request.
Fast forward to mid-October, and with the Raiders holding an 8% chance of reaching the postseason per sportsbooks, Meyers could reasonably be dealt before the NFL’s trade deadline, which is three weeks away.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote last week, “One other receiver from a struggling team to watch could be Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders and Meyers couldn’t reach a deal before Week 1 despite his trade request, and with the Raiders sitting at 1-4, interest in the player could tick upward.”
The Raiders toppled the Titans in Week 6, but even that didn’t move the needle on their playoff hopes.
Fowler added about the trade deadline, “Trades are starting to fly off the board leaguewide. Two got done Tuesday, nearly a month from the deadline. That the Ravens gave up on Oweh, sending him to the Chargers, was a mild surprise. League execs are already wondering which struggling teams could enter fire sale mode.”
“In the AFC East, the Jets would have several attractive trade possibilities on the defensive side of the ball, as would the Dolphins on offense. It would not surprise me if teams start to call on Miami receiver Jaylen Waddle if the Dolphins continue to struggle, though I highly doubt Miami would entertain that at this point, especially with Tyreek Hill out for the season.”
Why Not the Vikings?
At most, Meyers will cost his next team via trade a pick in the ballpark of Round 4 or Round 5. His contract will expire after this season, on deck to hit free agency in March. In theory, Minnesota could spend the 4th- or 5th-Rounder, extend Meyers’ contract, and keep him around for the next two or three years as the WR3 — or WR2 if injuries or suspension ding Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Of course, wide receiver isn’t an utterly urgent need for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but ask yourself this? Would you rather have Meyers on the team for the next few years or spend a 4th- or 5th-Rounder on a lottery ticket rookie who may or may not pan out?
Adofo-Mensah has already shown an affinity for stacking depth at positions. See: defensive tackle during the most recent offseason.
Jalen Nailor’s Final Year of Contract
Minnesota’s current WR3, Jalen Nailor, is scheduled to hit free agency in five months. This year is the final on his rookie contract, and to date, no serious extension talks have been reported.
If Adofo-Mensah already knows that he has no plans to extend Nailor — he’ll know that in his heart of hearts — trading for Meyers checks some boxes. Plan for Nailor’s off-ramp now.
Too, Nailor is on pace to produce 425 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns this season, which are not upper-echelon WR3 numbers. It’s an indirect way of saying the Vikings can do better.
Meyer is better, and he’s a significantly more consistent receiver than Nailor.
Adam Thielen’s Quiet to Start Season
Speaking of underwhelming production, Adam Thielen — who was supposed to play WR2 for the Vikings in Weeks 1, 2, and 3 because of Jordan Addison’s suspension — has 4 receptions for 37 yards. Six weeks ago, the notion of trading for Meyers might have felt dumb or silly, as everyone believed Thielen still had gas left in the tank as a WR2 or WR3.
That theory wasn’t right — or at least it’s taking a long time to materialize.
Because Thielen is not performing anywhere close to a WR2, WR3, or WR4 level, theories for players like Meyers cannot be ruled out.
More on the Meyers Trade Sweepstakes
Athlon Sports‘ John Vaccaro noted on Meyers’ possible trade fate over the weekend: “Now the Raiders may be regretting not actively working to trade him sooner as his value is likely lower now than it would have been before the season started.”
“There should still be a market for Meyers based on his previous seasons. Meyers made 158 catches for 1834 yards over his first two seasons in Vegas. Him and Smith just haven’t quite gotten on the same page yet and with the season on its way to being lost, he’s really just taking snaps away from the organization’s younger receivers.”
Meyers will turn 29 next month.
“The Raiders spent picks on Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton this year and second-year receiver Tre Tucker had a monster game a few weeks ago. Getting playing time for those guys will have more value than any production they get from Meyers if the team isn’t going to win anyway,” Vaccaro continued.
“With his contract expiring and the Raiders not seeming to have interest in extending his deal, the best thing they can do is trade Meyers and try to get some value for him on his way out of town. It would be surprising if the Raiders didn’t find a partner for Meyers in the few weeks left before the NFL trade deadline.”
The Vikings have fired off trades during every regular season since Adofo-Mensah took over in 2022. Even if it’s not Meyers, some deal will likely come to fruition in the next 22 days.
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