Why Extending a Key Wide Receiver Was Crucial for Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Jaguars have had their most successful season in years, with their first 10+ win season since the 2017 playoff run that ended in an AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots. A big part of that has been the improved offensive performance under Grant Udinski’s leadership and head coach Liam Coen. This was further pushed by the midseason acquisition of veteran wide receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders. There was anticipation around Jacksonville that bringing in Meyers would help the offense in many ways since injuries were plaguing the unit, such as the injury to rookie phenom Travis Hunter. Since joining Duval County, Meyers has done just that.
In six games with the Jaguars, Meyers has had 27 receptions for 355 yards and three touchdowns. His 13.1 yards per reception and 59.2 yards per game are both the second-highest averages of his career in their respective categories. After these first few weeks of success with the Jaguars, the front office believed it was enough to lock him down for the foreseeable future. Last Thursday, Jacksonville agreed to a three-year extension with Meyers for $60 million, with $40 million guaranteed. If anything, this adds some security for Jacksonville’s offensive core, one that they wish to surround quarterback Trevor Lawrence with more talent in the future. This is only the first step, with a contract extension expected for running back Travis Etienne Jr. next. By keeping Meyers, the Jaguars offense will only gel together more and get stronger, with his veteran leadership pairing with the younger wide receivers, including Brian Thomas.
The offense and the team’s performance have only gotten better since Meyers joined, and the stats prove it. Since Meyers joined the Jaguars, the team is 5-1 and averaging the second-most points in the NFL in that same span. The Jaguars led the NFL in drops with 19 when they acquired Meyers, who only had 11 drops in his seven-year career. Since joining, Meyers has only had one drop, and Lawrence’s completion rate has increased. Meyers is also only 29 years old and could arguably have a few more solid years left in him before any sign of performance decline. The extension of Meyers proves that the Jaguars want to win in the future and are willing to keep core players in the city to make that happen.
