Mike Vrabel and the Patriots have made it clear that they are interested in making some more moves ahead of the start of the 2025 season to further improve their roster. How they plan to do that is unclear, but trades remain part of the story, and it just became a lot more interesting with the latest player requesting to be moved.
Now that they know they missed on a blockbuster move for Terry McLaurin, since he reportedly signed an extension with the Commanders on Monday, the Patriots will need to look elsewhere for an offensive fix.
Their next prospect appears to have been made clear already, as NFL insider Ian Rapoport is reporting WR Jakobi Meyers, who spent much of his career in New England, has formally requested a trade from the Raiders.
#Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers recently met with team brass and requested to be traded, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2025
The team, citing his value, said they had no plans to do so. Meyers and the team attempted to negotiate a new contract, but could not come to terms. pic.twitter.com/GM2oUMDjt3
According to the report, the Raiders have no intention of moving Meyers before the season starts. However, if a team like the Patriots makes a decent offer, it's reasonable to assume they might reconsider, given that he is only signed through the upcoming season.
The Patriots can finally right a former wrong by bringing back Jakobi Meyers
Because it's clear Las Vegas has no long-term plans for Meyers within their offense, it makes no sense for them to keep him around for another year. He might be a solidified weapon, as he has emerged as a superstar since signing with the team in 2023 and even crossed the 1,000+ receiving yards mark last year, but the rebuilding that Vegas is trying to accomplish doesn't include the wide receiver.
He could finally go back to where he never should have left and reprise his role in Josh McDaniels' offense, which is a big reason why he wanted to sign with the Raiders in the first place.
Now that Bill Belichick is gone, he might be more likely to come back, since he had made it clear he was offended that the legendary head coach chose to sign and pay JuJu Smith-Schuster instead of him, who had proven his worth to the team over four years.
The Patriots could add him to their questionable receiving corps for the season ahead with the comfort of knowing what kind of player they'd be getting because of his familiarity with McDaniels' offense. Meyers has proven he can work with any quarterback and could immediately become another weapon for Drake Maye on game day.
It likely won't cost much to get a deal done, and if the Patriots want to upgrade their offense, getting Meyers might be their best and last chance to accomplish that.