jakobi meyers
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Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers.
Jakobi Meyers may be hoping to get traded, but he appears too valuable to the Las Vegas Raiders right now. In the team’s Week 1 win over the New England Patriots, Meyers had eight catches for 97 yards.
He’s clearly the team’s best wide receiver and already has a good rapport with quarterback Geno Smith. The Raiders aren’t paying any of their wide receiver big money right now, so it would make sense to extend Meyers.
However, they don’t appear to have plans to do that. They also don’t appear to have plans to grant his trade request. Luckily for Las Vegas, Meyers continues to put his head down and work.
Following the Week 1 win, Meyers admitted that he’s still happy to be in Las Vegas.
“I’m happy to play football; I’m happy to be with my boys; I’m happy to be a Raider,” Meyers said Sunday. “But like I said, man, wherever the job takes me and whoever needs me to win and whoever wants me to be there, I’m going to be there proudly.”
Meyers wants to keep being a Raider, but he also wants to be compensated for his hard work over the last couple of years. If he keeps putting up big numbers, the team may have no choice but to figure out a way to pay him.
Geno Smith Earns High Marks From Teammates
Meyers has to be happy that the Raiders have a settled quarterback situation now that Smith is in the building. He showed in Week 1 that he’s capable of leading the offense.
It’s still early in his Raiders tenure, but he’s already impressive teammates.
“We’ve seen it all camp,” tight end Brock Bowers said. “No one on the team is shocked, really. It’s good that we can come out here and showcase what he can do.
“We stalled, obviously. I don’t know what caused that, but we know what we’re capable of. We just all had to lock back in and really get back rolling.”
Left tackle Kolton Miller also had praise for Smith.
“He’s an ultimate competitor,” Miller said of Smith. “He’s calm and focused back there. Of course we can do a better job of cleaning up [protections], but when you’re backed up like that, and then he can step up and make a throw like that, that’s just confidence.”
Smith Confident in His Ability
It wasn’t a perfect debut for Smith. The Raiders’ offense stalled in the first half, and Smith threw an interception.
However, he remains confident in what he can do, but still acknowledges where he can improve.
“I know who I am, I know what I can do,” Smith said. “Mistakes happen. Things happen within the game. There was a tipped pass. I made the right read. Could have made a better throw. But those guys made a play on it, and the ball tipped up, guy made a play. … I’m going to keep going. I’m me.
“I just know who I am. I know what I can do on that field, so I never worry.”