With contract talks failing to produce a breakthrough, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers has formally requested a trade from the organization. It’s easy to understand why any player might seek a new opportunity away from one of the most consistently poor franchises of the last 30 years, especially with Meyers clearly looking to secure his future with what may be his last chance at a big contract, but will anything come of the request? We turned to Madden NFL 26 to find out what could come of the Meyers situation.
What Madden 26 Thinks The Raiders Can Get
The trade market for receivers this offseason has not brought a lot of high-value returns, and with Meyers on the older side and outside the truly elite tier, the offered returns are far from spectacular. To see what might be best, we tried four approaches to the market to see how they panned out in 2025:
The Like-For-Like Trade
Kansas City Receives: WR – Jakobi Meyers
Las Vegas Receives: WR – JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC’s 2026 5th Round Pick, KC’s 2027 7th Round Pick
The first option for the Raiders is to grab a comparable veteran player, and with the Chiefs offering some additional draft capital with JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Raiders’ wideout is headed to Kansas City. While a marginal step down in rating, Smith-Schuster is still a leading option in the Raiders’ weak receiving corps.
With one year in the book, Meyers had the stronger year, but with the Raiders in the playoffs, it’s nothing for Vegas to turn their noses up at. Meyers excelled in Kansas City with 1,143 yards, 12th best in the league, and 13 scores as the Chiefs locked up the top seed. With the Raiders squeaking by the Bills in the Wild Card round, Meyers and company welcomed the Raiders to Kansas City, where the departed pass catcher got the last laugh before his own season ended the next week against Baltimore.
The Young Instant Upgrade
Cincinnati Receives: WR – Jakobi Meyers
Las Vegas Receives: CB – Dax Hill, CIN’s 2027 4th Round Pick, CIN’s 2027 7th Round Pick
Just because nearly every offer for Meyers returned a lower-rated player didn’t mean there wasn’t still a chance to upgrade a unit while also acquiring picks, as Dax Hill’s mediocre OVR still made him the instant CB 1 in a comically weak Raiders secondary. The value of a 4th and 7th is nothing to rave about, but the trade offers the possibility of a win-win scenario.
What played out was a win-win for all the current Raiders. As a team, Las Vegas reached the playoffs, where they destroyed Buffalo 45-10 before falling to the Ravens by 27 in the divisional round. While Hill’s numbers weren’t spectacular, with 1 interception and 2 passes deflected all year, a playoff year for the Raiders is still a playoff year for the Raiders. As a team, the Bengals were not so lucky, but Meyers personally will be eying a big contract after posting 1,085 yards and 17 scores as part of a terrifying trio with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
Shopping The Trading Block
Baltimore Receives: WR – Jakobi Meyers
Las Vegas Receives: TE – Isaiah Likely
Although Tight End is one of the least critical positions on a roster full of critical positions in Las Vegas, this straight swap provided the potential for a two-tight-end assault. With Meyers moving on, there is little to brag about in the wide receiver room, so a second young tight end might give the Raiders a way to create bad looks for defenses, while Meyers gets to join the frequent Madden 26 juggernaut in Baltimore.
It did not work out well for Vegas, who won just four games. With just 212 yards and 3 TDs, Likely couldn’t overcome being the second TE option, even with no wide receivers breaking 500 yards themselves. Meyers had his worst individual year of all four scenarios, with just 642 yards on 34 catches for five scores, but his deepest run, too. He popped off for 101 yards and a score in his first playoff game in purple, but managed just six grabs for 80 yards total across an AFC Conference Championship win and Super Bowl Loss.
The “With Assets” Upgrade
Los Angeles Receives: WR – Jakobi Meyers, LV 2026 1st Round Pick, LV 2026 4th Round Pick
Las Vegas Raiders Receive: Puka Nacua, LAR 2026 2nd Round Pick
With little of value on offer in exchange for Meyers straight up, what about adding some sweeteners to the pot? The Raiders have rarely made great use of their draft picks through the years, so a downgrade from a 1st and 4th to a 2nd in exchange for a proven wide receiver who hasn’t even entered his prime yet could be a steal for the silver and black.
Things went alright for Nacua in Vegas, with a 1,000-yard season and nine scores. Before you chalk this up as a win for the Raiders, however, Meyers led the NFL with a staggering 1,539 yards and 20 scores. Unfortunately for both teams, neither squad rode those performances to the playoffs. As for the draft capital sacrificed, the Raiders’ first-rounder ended up being Malik Muhammad of Texas, who would certainly have helped in a weak Vegas secondary that saw a 77 OVR become their instant CB1 in a prior trade scenario.
Conclusion
While exact results vary by trade, the consistent theme fits the real-world scenario where Meyers is asking and the Raiders are expressing no interest in obliging. Playing in a new scene looks like just what Meyers needs, but with returns on offer so paltry that it seems unlikely the Raiders will allow him that freedom, and he’ll be forced to play out his final year and hope for big numbers and a clean bill of health.
