One of the few virtual certainties at the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline was the notion that the Las Vegas Raiders would finally land on a trade that would send disgruntled wide receiver Jakobi Meyers away to a better team, and the Buffalo Bills were hot on his tail for quite some time.
Ultimately, despite some strong pushes from Brandon Beane and the rest of the front office, the Bills found themselves missing out on Meyers. To make things worse, the former Patriots standout was traded to a team in the AFC.
Meyers was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as James Gladstone went for broke after the news that Travis Hunter would miss some time with an injury. To make matters worse for the Bills, Beane was fairly close to getting a deal done.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers had called the Raiders to inquire about Meyers, but Jacksonville ultimately beat them to the punch. With Buffalo having done nothing to improve their big areas of need, missing out on Meyers is sure to sting.
Bills miss on perfect WR trade as Jakobi Meyers goes to Jaguars
With the New England Patriots proving to be a threat for the division, Buffalo will need to pay attention to wild-card teams jockeying for position in the AFC. Jacksonville just received a major shot in their arm with the Meyers trade, especially with Travis Hunter expected to miss time with an injury.
Meyers, who has caught 33 passes for 352 yards this season despite failing to find the end zone, is exactly the type of receiver that Joe Brady needs in this offense. With Keon Coleman flatlining in his second season and Khalil Shakir likely more of a complementary piece, Meyers could have taken this offense to the next level.
While trading a fourth and some additional capital (Buffalo does not have a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft) might sound steep for a one-year rental, and Bills fans are still coming off the sting of the Amari Cooper trade, but that shouldn't have been an obstacle to any sort of Meyers trade.
Meyers in Buffalo would have been an ideal schematic fit that could set the Bills apart in an AFC that wasn't very active at the deadline, but Beane was caught asleep at the switch.