This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
Jakobi Meyers #16 of the Las Vegas Raiders greets fans prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Nov. 02, 2025. Candice Ward/Getty Images
The Jacksonville Jaguars are glad to have wide receiver Jakobi Meyers for his reliable hands. While that may seem obvious for the position, the Jaguars desperately need it, as they lead the NFL in dropped passes with 30
Meyers has just 17 drops across 98 games in his seven-year career. Meyers also enters the locker room in something of an awkward situation: the former Las Vegas Raider was traded to the Jags just two days after they beat the Raiders 30-29 in an overtime thriller.
“[He’s] tough, [has] strong hands, has been physical as a separator in [one-on-one] situations,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said at his Nov. 5 news conference. “I’ve only heard great things about the pro. Edgar [Bennett] has worked with him in the past as well. So definitely excited to have him.”
Meyers will help to reinforce a decimated wide receiver corps. Former first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury; Dyami Brown also left with a concussion.
This year’s second overall pick, Travis Hunter, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury he suffered at practice last week. That leaves Meyers, 2023 sixth-round pick Parker Washington, veteran Tim Patrick, and practice squad call-up Austin Trammell as the only active receivers. The Jags also have veteran Tim Jones and 2025 undrafted free agent Chandler Brayboy on their practice squad.
Even when Hunter, Brown, and Thomas return from the injury list, Meyers’s biggest contribution to the team will be his reliable hands.
The Jaguars lead the league in dropped passes with 30 as a team; that’s nine more than the second-place team, the Denver Broncos, with 21. Jacksonville and Denver are the only teams with more than 20, but the Jaguars have twice as many drops as 27 other teams, and as many drops as the bottom six teams combined.
On an individual level, Thomas leads all receivers with 9 drops so far this season; Brown is tied for 5th with 5 drops; Parker Washington is tied for 10th place with 4.
The most drops Meyers ever had in a single season was 4 in both 2020 and 2022. He has just one drop so far this season, and had one in all of 2024.
“You think about where we’re at in terms of volume of drops, what’s his superpower? It’s not dropping the football, right?” Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone told ESPN. “So you just take it from the surface level, it seems fitting.”
Meyers thanked Gladstone for the compliment but noted that the receiving corps has been working to fix it.
“I appreciate it,” he told reporters Nov. 5. “Even knowing that ... that’s been an issue, seeing the guys work after practice, work during practice, how serious they take it, it’s ball drills all over. So that’s a testament to them, honestly. They’re working on it. They’re getting better every day, and I respect that. So, hopefully I can come in and do my part, and I don’t add to the problem.”
Meyers had been looking for a trade during the preseason after negotiations on a long-term contract stalled out, but rescinded his request at the beginning of the regular season. He suspected he would be moved but was not certain. He said he would have been okay with either outcome, but was happy for the new opportunity.
A reporter asked him if he anticipated a long-term deal since the Jaguars sent two draft picks to the Raiders for him, but Meyers said he is not worried about it right now.
“I’ve got to play good football first, honestly,” he said. “I'll cross that bridge when we get there, but I’m not about to come in and ask for a pay raise on the first day.”
Meyers also enters his team in strange circumstances: The Jags outlasted the Raiders 30-29 in overtime on Sunday. Two days later, right at the trade deadline, Meyers was shipped to the team he just lost to. Meyers pointed out that he had to smooth things over with some Jags defenders he talked trash to, but praised his new teammates for their physicality.
John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.
