PFF expects Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to break out in 2025, three years after parting ways with the Patriots
Jakobi Meyers is not elite by any means, but is easily one of the most underrated wideouts in the NFL. After showing promise early in his career with the New England Patriots, the Las Vegas Raiders receiver recorded his first 1,000-yard season in 2024 and is on the verge of a full breakout.
Since leaving the Patriots in the 2023 offseason, Meyers is coming off consecutive career-best seasons with the Raiders. The 28-year-old hauled in a career-high eight touchdowns in 2023, before setting another personal best in 2024 with 1,027 receiving yards. Ahead of his third season with Las Vegas, Meyers is the most underrated player on the team, according to Pro Football Focus.
“With [Davante] Adams gone since Week 3 of 2024, Meyers really stepped up, earning 108 targets and going for 875 receiving yards and 1.87 yards per route run to rank second on the team, behind only Brock Bowers,” the PFF article read. “Meyers has established himself as a reliable second option in the passing game for the Raiders, ranking 39th in PFF receiving grade (78.2) and 17th in total targets (232) among 147 qualifying wide receivers since 2023.”
Any Patriots fan could have seen Meyers' breakout coming a mile away. Meyers led the team in receiving in 2022 and 2023, his final two seasons with the team. He sought an extension once his rookie deal expired, but was surprised to discover that the front office was ready to move on. Instead of extending Meyers, New England signed JuJu Smith-Schuster in the 2023 offseason, who mustered just 260 receiving yards in his lone season with the team.
Jakobi Meyers ready for next step with Raiders in 2025
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Meyers has long been a victim of subpar quarterback play, dealing with the frustrating inconsistency of Mac Jones, Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell throughout his career. However, with the Raiders trading for Geno Smith in the offseason, Meyers will get to work with the best signal-caller of his career in 2025.
Meyers will undoubtedly begin the year as the Raiders' top receiver, but he will have more competition for targets than he did a year ago. Las Vegas added dynamic wideouts Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft to bolster a previously lackluster receiving corps. The group all follows tight end Brock Bowers, who is coming off a historic rookie campaign.
Las Vegas won just four games in 2024 but already has significantly higher expectations for the 2025 season. The hiring of Pete Carroll and subsequent offseason moves have fans as optimistic as they have been in years.
