Gutierrez: Jakobi Meyers is an unassuming lynchpin of Raiders offense

Jun 04, 2025 at 10:15 AM

Paul Gutierrez

Raiders Columnist

Jakobi Meyers is in an NFL offseason for the first time as his team's undisputed No. 1 wideout.

He is coming off his first career 1,000-yard receiving season, was not charged with a single dropped pass last year and, with 20 career touchdown catches, has 15 more such scores than the rest of the Raiders receivers room…combined.

And yet, any talk of the Raiders' reimagined offense begins with new playcaller Chip Kelly, continues with free agent quarterback Geno Smith, moves to All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and reaches a crescendo with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy finalist drafted with the No. 6 overall pick.

Could you blame Meyers if he came into OTAs with a certain chip on his shoulder as the most underrated skill player on that side of the ball for Las Vegas, especially as he enters a contract year?

Thing is, you'd have to point the finger at yourself for thinking Meyers would harbor such a grudge. Yes, even as he reached personal heights he never could have imagined coming out of North Carolina State undrafted in 2019 with the Patriots.

"Same [stuff], different day," Meyers said with a sly grin, the inference being that he was taking it all in stride rather than being bitter about anything.

"I've been doing this since I got in the league. Nothing's changed. I'm really just trying to make plays and go about my business."

Wait, what?

Aren't top-flight receivers supposed to be the ultimate me-first guys, the divas through whom all offenses must flow?

Meyers, who joined the Raiders as a free agent in 2023, keeping his head down plays more into the underrated role than strutting about and chirping, "Just give me the damn ball," and that's most definitely not the same [stuff], now is it?

Plus, there's his versatility as a pass catcher, his ability to play both outside and in the slot.

"Anything thrown in his direction, he seems to somehow come down [with it]," Kelly said. "He's got a really good understanding of coverage and schemes, where he knows how to get himself open at the appropriate time. And that's part of it.

"We're young at the wideout spot. But for those guys to be able to rely on someone like Jakobi, a kind of, 'been there, done that'... that can help some of the young guys out there."

He can also assist an incoming quarterback. Even if he already has 11 seasons of NFL experience.

"It's my job to throw him the ball, and get it to him in the right places and make it easy on him, make the catches easy for him," Smith said. "I know he's going to make great catches and make me look good all the time. So my job is to make sure that I'm feeding him the ball and getting the ball in the right spots, and allow him to go out there and be great and get his shine on."

The first time Meyers shone, so to speak? His first-ever NFL reception, courtesy of you-know-who.

It was a 22-yard pickup down the middle of the field on a pass thrown by Tom Brady late in the first quarter of the Patriots' eventual 33-3 shellacking of the Steelers in each team's 2019 season opener.

Now, Brady is a minority owner of the Raiders and Meyers, in a way, needs to continue to impress him…in a way. Even as Meyers, entering his third season with the Raiders, is with his third different head coach (Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, Pete Carroll) and fifth different playcaller (McDaniels, Bo Hardegree, Luke Getsy, Scott Turner, Kelly).

"You've just got to be happy that you're still here," Meyers said. "You've still got a chance to kind of prove yourself, play on this stage and have this opportunity, honestly."

Meyers' mellow mien belies how productive he has been for the Raiders.

In two seasons, he has caught 158 passes on 235 targets for 1,834 yards and 12 TDs, all without preening, prancing or causing a disturbance in the locker room, let alone in an in-game huddle or sideline.

Still, these are uncharted waters for Meyers, entering a contract year off a career year.

"I'm trying to feed my family and also go out here and show that I could be a dominant football player and do the things that help the team win," said Meyers, who caught 87 passes for 1,027 yards and 4 TDs last season.

"That's pretty much it, honestly. Simple."

Is it, though?

Meyers likes Las Vegas as a city, the Raiders as an organization, and he can see a certain future. Cue the contract negotiations, then.

"Yeah, I want to be here, for sure," he said. "But that's all I could really say on it right now. That's business between us and the top floor. So, I'm just going to hold that one down for now."

In other words, that's different [stuff] for a different day for the Raiders' most underrated skill position player.

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Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) at an Organized Team Activity (OTA) at Intermountain Health Performance Center.