Raiders Trade Pitch Sends Jakobi Meyers Away For 1st-Round CB
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ESPN proposed a trade pitch sending Las Vegas wide receiver Jakobi Meyers to the New York Giants for cornerback Deonte Banks.
The Las Vegas Raiders have spent the first half of the 2025 NFL season evaluating what direction they’ll take under new leadership. With an offense still trying to find its rhythm and several positional battles on defense, ESPN’s recently proposed trade involving wide receiver Jakobi Meyers offers a fascinating scenario for the team’s future.
The proposed deal would send Meyers, a 2026 fourth-round pick, and cash considerations to the New York Giants in exchange for cornerback Deonte Banks and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
At first glance, this might seem like a short-term loss for Las Vegas. After all, Meyers has been one of the Raiders’ most dependable targets since joining the team in 2023. But when considering the long-term vision of the roster, positional depth, and contract implications, this trade pitch could make sense for the Silver and Black.
Why Trading Jakobi Meyers Could Benefit Las Vegas
Meyers’ tenure with the Raiders has been somewhat uneven in 2025. After opening the season with a 97-yard performance in the win over the New England Patriots, the 28-year-old has averaged just 46.4 yards per game since.
Once viewed as an ideal complement to Davante Adams, Meyers’ role has diminished amid inconsistent quarterback play and a Raiders offense that remains in transition.
More importantly, Meyers is in the final year of his three-year, $33 million deal, and he requested a trade during training camp. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders are open to trading Meyers but “are not actively trying to move him.”
The front office seems content to ride out the season before making a final decision, but if a reasonable offer comes in, Las Vegas would be inclined to listen.
A Chance to Strengthen the Secondary with Deonte Banks
GettyOmarion Hampton #8 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs the ball against Deonte Banks #2 of the New York Giants.
In return, the Raiders would acquire Banks, the former first-round pick of the Giants back in 2023. He entered the league with tremendous upside, standing at 6’2″ with elite athletic traits, but his time in New York has been rocky.
However, the Raiders could view Banks as a low-risk, high-reward project. The Raiders’ cornerback group has struggled this season. With Eric Stokes on a one-year deal and Kyu Blu Kelly allowing a 122.5 passer rating in coverage (not good!), adding Banks could infuse the secondary with youth, size, and potential.
The Raiders won’t have to give big money to Meyers, and Banks is under contract for three more years at an affordable $3.9 million, guaranteeing Las Vegas cost-controlled depth at an important position.
Per Ryan Dunleavy:
“I think there is a real chance that [Deonte] Banks is moved before the deadline.”
Nonetheless, trading Meyers away won’t be an easy decision for the Raiders, especially with how reliable he’s been in the past. Yet given his contract situation and prior trade request, moving him for a young defensive asset like Banks could be a risk the team is willing to take.
The proposed deal is not a blockbuster-type trade, but for Las Vegas, it could be a strategic step toward investing in the future.
Ravens Legend Ray Lewis Urges NFL to Investigate Referees After Steelers’ Controversial Loss to Bengals: “They Got Robbed, and the League Can’t Ignore This.”
Cincinnati, OH – October 14, 2025 — Even the fiercest rival the Pittsburgh Steelers have ever known couldn’t stay silent after what unfolded on Thursday Night Football. Ravens Hall of Famer
Ray Lewis — the face of Baltimore’s defensive legacy — has broken his silence following the Steelers’ heartbreaking 31–33 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, calling for an official NFL investigation into what he labeled
“a disgrace to the game.”
“No one wanted the Steelers to lose more than I did — but not like this,” Lewis said. “The Steelers got robbed, and everyone who watched that game knows it. Those calls weren’t just wrong — they stole what this team fought for.”
His words echoed across the league, igniting an instant storm online as fans and analysts questioned the officiating that tilted momentum in Cincinnati’s favor. Two pivotal calls have since drawn heavy scrutiny — both shifting the outcome of one of the AFC North’s most heated battles.
With 2:52 left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Aaron Rodgers launched a deep pass toward DK Metcalf that was intercepted by Bengals corner Jordan Battle. Replays revealed the throw sailed inches beyond Metcalf’s fingertips before contact, appearing
uncatchable. Despite the magnitude of the play, referees refused to initiate a review, handing Cincinnati possession that led to the game-winning field goal.
Aaron Rodgers has ~words~ for the officials after this is ruled an INT
pic.twitter.com/vFav3z5qm6 — Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 17, 2025
The moment sparked outrage across X under the trending tag #RiggedTNF, with analysts calling it one of the season’s biggest officiating failures.
“That’s a play that changes standings, playoff implications, and locker rooms,” said former ref analyst Terry McAulay. “If that’s not reviewed, what is?”
Earlier, a questionable holding call on center
Zach Frazier in the third quarter erased a key conversion and killed a promising Steelers drive. On film, Frazier appeared to anchor perfectly — no grab, no twist, no pull — yet the 10-yard penalty forced a punt.
“That call was soft,” wrote ESPN’s Mina Kimes. “You can’t penalize clean blocking in that moment.”
Even Bengals fans admitted online that something felt off, noting the 11–4 penalty imbalance
that consistently pushed Pittsburgh backward. And while Cincinnati celebrated, Ray Lewis’ unexpected defense of his long-time rival stole the postgame spotlight.
“You don’t have to wear black and gold to see what happened,”
he said. “You don’t cheat the game to win it. If the NFL ignores this, then the message is clear — fairness is optional.”
The league has yet to release any official statement on the officiating controversy, but pressure is mounting for the NFL’s competition committee to review the tape.
As Lewis concluded, “The Bengals got the win. The Steelers got robbed. But what really lost tonight — was the integrity of football itself.”
