Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR DeAndre Carter.
The Las Vegas Raiders have been active in addressing the wide receiver position after the draft but DeAndre Carter wasn’t part of their plans. The speedster played all 17 games for the team last season but only had four catches.
New Raiders general manager Tom Telesco was familiar with Carter as he was with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. He didn’t appear to have much itnerest in bringing him back but the wide receiver was still able to land on his feet. According to a June 13 X post from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Carter has signed with the Chicago Bears.
Former Chargers and Raiders WR/special teams ace DeAndre Carter is signing with the #Bears, per source.
More speed for Caleb Williams in Chicago with the NFL’s new kickoff return rule in play.
The Bears are stacked at wide receiver right now so there won’t be much room for Carter to see the ball a lot on offense. However, he has been a kick and punt returner throughout his career. With the NFL’s updated kick return rules, it’s going to be more important for teams to have a good kick returner. That should give Carter a real shot at making the Bears’ roster.
Antonio Pierce Has High Praise for Jakobi Meyers
The Raiders may have one of the more underrated wide receiver rooms in the NFL right now. Davante Adams is a well-known star but not many talk about Jakobi Meyers as one of the top No. 2 wide receivers in the league.
He has three straight seasons of over 800 receiving yards and has earned high praise from head coach Antonio Pierce.
“Jakobi is that guy,” Pierce said during a June 13 press conference. “When you say I need a dog, Jakobi is that dog. Jakobi is an alpha. Jakobi is fearless. Jakobi works probably as hard as any player on our team. You saw this last year, his commitment in the run game speaks volumes because he could be easily a 100 reception and 1,000-yard receiver, but it’s all those other things. It’s those crack back blocks, it’s those hits on the D-end, the linebacker, getting his nose bloody, rolling up his sleeves, flexing on guys, setting the tone.
“His energy and presence, he might not say a lot and you guys know him, real slick and slight of words, but when he speaks you better listen because he’s got some substance behind him.”
The only thing that will likely hold Meyers back from having a big season in 2024 is quarterback play and the Raiders’ abundance of receiving weapons.
Jakobi Meyers Discusses His Approach
Meyers has come a long way from being an undrafted free agent signing of the New England Patriots. Pierce clearly thinks he can be a No. 1 wide receiver but hasn’t been put in a great position to succeed throughout his career.
Regardless, Meyers has a routine and he’s sticking to it.
“Just how I attack the game, honestly,” Meyers said during his June 11 media availability. “I feel like mine is a lot of off the field stuff, just preparing better, working harder off the field and just getting myself ready to play for a whole season.
“I feel like it’s something I enjoy. It should be hard. It should be different. If it wasn’t, everybody would do it. That’s how you separate yourself.”