Jakobi Meyers had his most productive NFL season in 2024, and the Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver is looking forward to having more stability at quarterback this year.
When asked about playing with first-year Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith, Meyers called him “one of the best I feel I’ve played with” at his press conference Wednesday.
Meyers is entering his seventh NFL season and his third in Vegas. He had a career-high 1,027 receiving yards, despite posting only four touchdowns while catching passes from both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II.
Why Did Jakobi Meyers Call Geno Smith One Of The Best He’s Played With?
That Meyers praised Smith so highly is impressive, since Raiders co-owner Tom Brady was also his quarterback in his rookie season with the New England Patriots (2019).
But Meyers went into detail about what makes Smith so good to work with.
“He’s accurate, can throw the ball far, can hit every spot, can move around,” Meyers said. “He brings a lot to the game of football. It’s going to be fun playing with him.”
It may be especially fun for Meyers playing with Smith, since the Raiders ranked 27th in the NFL in quarterbacks rating (82.0) and 26th in yards per completion (6.5) in 2024. Smith himself had more touchdowns (21) than three Raiders quarterbacks combined — O’Connell, Minshew and Desmond Ridder.
Plus, as the Raiders’ No. 1 wide receiver, Meyers’ productivity only stands to go up with Smith, as long as Meyers can stay healthy.
Yet, Meyers is more focused on Las Vegas improving on its 4-13 record.
“It was cool, but we sucked,” Meyers said of posting his first 1,000-yard season. “That was a great feeling to have, but that feeling kind of came and went. But I feel like if we had won a lot more games then that would’ve been better.
“The goal is honestly to get [1,000 yards] again and then win a lot more games with it.”
What Did Jakobi Meyers Say About Being A Veteran?
At 28, Meyers may be super-young in the real world. But in the young world of the NFL, especially on the baby-faced Raiders, Meyers is long in the tooth.
So when asked about being a leader, Meyers was excited to teach his teammates of his tricks learned over his first six seasons.
“It’s an opportunity,” Meyers said. “I still feel like I’m young in my career, so this is early to be in the role of leadership and help guys get better, I think that’s going to be real beneficial, and I think it’s going to help me get better.”
The Raiders spent two precious draft picks on wideouts, second-rounder Jack Bech from TCU and fourth-round pick Dont’e Thornton from Tennessee. Each may end up in a starting role at some point during the season, and Meyers praised each’s willingness to speak up and try to learn.
“I feel like they reach out if they have questions,” Meyers said. “They say what they have issues, surprisingly, ’cause it’s a new offense for all of us, sometimes I’m asking them questions, and they’re always on it.
“They’re gonna be great.”
