The last time the Falcons traded for a Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, the result was pretty disastrous. That’s more about the receiver than the trade partner, however, as Bryan Edwards was supposed to give a lousy depth chart a major boost but instead caught just three passes for 15 yards over seven games and never again appeared in an NFL game. Oof.
I’ll get the trouble spot out of the way early: A fourth round pick is probably too rich for Atlanta’s blood, considering they’re already down a first rounder thanks to their draft day James Pearce Jr. trade with the Rams. Atlanta needs more picks rather than less, but that price becomes more palatable the further you go into the draft. It’s not that price is unfair, per se, so much as that the Falcons may not really be able to afford to pay it.
But in Meyers, you’d be getting a fantastic short-term salve for the team’s receiver woes, one who would provide Atlanta with reliable hands—he had the league’s lowest drop rate in 2024—and a proven, consistent track record of high level receiver play. Meyers has at least 800 yards receiving in four consecutive seasons despite having Mac Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, Brian Hoyer, and Desmond Ridder throwing him passes over that span, with 20 touchdowns to go with them. He can and does win deep, something that will appeal to Penix, and is a credible if not spectacular yards after the catch threat.
He also has completed two out of three passes for the Raiders the past two years with a touchdown, making him by far the highest-rated passer Las Vegas has had over that span, which I found funny.
Meyers is not the best receiver in the NFL in terms of run blocking, however, which is one item that might give this Falcons team pause. The other is compensation and contract cost; Meyers would be a one-year rental with a chance to re-sign, and is making $11 million this year. The Falcons would have to feel pretty confident they’d be good enough with Meyers to make the trade worthwhile.
But with Darnell Mooney struggling and hurt, Ray-Ray McCloud off to a slow start and likely to be hit by the regression monster in 2025 after a major career year in 2024, and the team’s depth looking somewhere between suspect and unproven, it’s a question of whether the Falcons trust Casey Washington to take a major step forward and think their practice squad crew can offer plenty in a pinch. If not—and if this passing game ends up in a place where reinforcements are clearly needed—Meyers is probably the best affordable option out there for Atlanta.
Pencil it in as a speculative sort of longshot at this point, and we’ll see where the Falcons are before the deadline.