The Jacksonville Jaguars have had some big problems with receivers lately. While much blame has been put on Trevor Lawrence for the offense's inability to perform, the reality is, no quarterback can do well when his receivers are dropping the ball left and right.
Jacksonville had one of the highest drop rates in the league, and while superstar rookie Travis Hunter was initially promising, he's now out for the season. Enter Jakobi Meyers, the wide receiver Jacksonville scored from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Meyers has been a great addition to the offense right away; while the Jags struggled with a high drop rate, he has the lowest in the league, and is already building chemistry with Lawrence. Unfortunately, he's only guaranteed to stay in Jacksonville through this season; after that, he's a free agent. And the Jaguars need to make sure he sticks around.
Jakobi Meyers has earned a long-term spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Kristopher Knox weighed in on the top extension candidates for Bleacher Report, and Meyers was one of them. According to him, the biggest issue is money; Jacksonville may not be able to afford to keep him. While Knox didn't outright say to let Meyers walk, he also mentioned his age and Jacksonville's other receivers — Hunter and Brian Thomas, Jr. — as potential issues.
"Meyers will turn 30 during the 2026 season and may not fit into Jacksonville's long-term roster-building plan," Knox wrote. "The going rate for receivers isn't about to decline, and the Jags are projected to have a relatively modest $22.7 million in cap space next season."
Knox continued, "Meyers, who is finishing up an $11 million-per-year contract, would probably have to accept a substantial pay cut to make sense for Jacksonville financially. It would behoove the Jaguars to reassess Meyers' future after seeing if Thomas can return to form and after evaluating Hunter's recovery from a season-ending LCL injury."
All things considered, Knox isn't necessarily wrong. However, that's a lot of ifs to throw around, considering Meyers has been reliable and consistent already, and has a strong career to speak of as well. Thomas, on the other hand... well, his rookie season was amazing, but the sophomore slump has hit him hard.
Jakobi Meyers has now led the Jaguars in receiving twice since joining the team 12 days ago
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) November 16, 2025
Jakobi Meyers chose the Jaguars for a reason
The other thing is that Jakobi Meyers chose to go to the Jags; he had other interested teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems unlikely that he would choose Jacksonville if he planned to leave a few months later. He could just as easily have remained in Las Vegas and played out the rest of his contract there.
Meyers will likely be willing to negotiate to stay in Jacksonville long-term, and James Gladstone should do what he can to make that happen. And yes, Meyers is pushing 30, but he also isn't likely to be the Jaguars' WR1; that, unless something drastically changes, should belong to Travis Hunter.
Will Meyers be willing to take a huge pay cut? Probably not, but it stands to reason that he'll be open to negotiate. And if it comes down to Meyers vs. Thomas, the clear winner should be Meyers. Thomas can sit back and regain his confidence and skills while learning from Meyers, if he even remains in Jacksonville next year.
But with so many receivers struggling, the Jaguars can't afford to get rid of one of their only solid options. He and Lawrence are working well together, and he can be a leader in the WR unit. He's worth keeping around for the long term.