The Las Vegas Raiders are a difficult team to get a read on through two weeks. They had a strong win in Week 1 over a solid New England Patriots squad, but looked overmatched in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s fair to question if the Raiders have enough pieces to compete for the playoffs this season. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is off to a strong start to the season, but he still has a trade request lingering over the team.
If the Raiders aren’t in the playoff mix, there’s no reason to keep a veteran wide receiver who is on an expiring contract and doesn’t want to be on the team. ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks the Raiders will deal him by the trade deadline if they aren’t in contention.
“In Pete Carroll’s first season here, we have another team under new management that could be using this season to assess who does or doesn’t fit moving forward,” Graziano wrote. If the Raiders fall out of contention in October, it’s not hard to imagine them starting to think about moving a player or two for draft capital.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is off to a great start — he has 165 receiving yards, ninth in the league — but he did request a trade this offseason because he wasn’t able to get the contract extension he wanted from the Raiders. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, and as long as he remains without an extension, it’s fair to wonder whether he’s in the team’s plans for 2026 and beyond.”
Meyers On Track to Have Big Season
It has been obvious through two games that Meyers is easily the Raiders‘ best wide receiver. He leads the team with 14 receptions and 165 yards.
He’s been a reliable target for Geno Smith. Unless other wide receivers start to step up, the Raiders might want to consider extending Meyers over trading him.
Rookie Jack Bech is supposed to be his eventual replacement, but he only has one reception and one target so far. If Meyers continues to have a big season and Bech doesn’t start to flash, the Raiders might seriously consider changing their tune on Meyers.
Dont’e Thornton Talks Homecoming
In Week 3, the Raiders play the Commanders in Washington. This will be the first game of Dont’e Thornton’s young NFL career that he’ll be playing close to home.
The Maryland native plans to have a lot of family show up for the game. However, he’s still trying to treat it like a normal game.
“For me, it’s just about treating it like any other game,” Thornton told reporters on Wednesday. “We treat every game like a championship game, so this is no different. It doesn’t matter where it is or who we’re playing. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to go out there and show out and try to play my best ball, but I’m going to do that every time. Of course, there’s going to be a little more behind it knowing my whole family is there watching. But I have to find a way to stay even keel with all those emotions going on.”
Raiders Could Trade Impending Free Agent if Season Goes Awry: ESPN