"You threw us the pass. We threw you a bag. That's crazy." -- Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson, recounting a joke he told receiver Jakobi Meyers.
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Jakobi Meyers has taken the highest of roads when it comes to his ill-fated backwards lateral that cost his former team, the New England Patriots, a Week 15 game last season while handing said game to his future team, the Raiders.
Jokes? Yeah, Meyers' new teammates had a few at his expense over last December's epic gaffe. But as Robertson alluded to, Meyers got the last laugh, courtesy of the three-year, $33 million "bag" he got from the Raiders in free agency this past spring.
Thing is, Meyers' play as Robin to Davante Adams' Batman in Las Vegas' receiver room has been anything but funny. Meyers' production and prominence have been a revelation for the Raiders.
Because Meyers has already tied a career high with six touchdown receptions. And with 52 catches for 591 yards in 11 games -- he missed Week 2 with a concussion suffered in the opener -- his reputation as a "complete" receiver is only growing. Meyers is on pace for 79 catches, 837 yards and nine TDs, in range of his 83-reception, 866-yard performance with the Patriots in 2021.
"He reminds me of where, as far as his respect level, where I was, maybe my third, fourth year in the league," said Adams, who is in his 10th season but has been named first-team All-Pro the last three years. "It was more of what people would come to say after the games. The feedback that I get from other players after the game about Jakobi or later on in the week, they'll say certain things -- 'I didn't know [No.] 16 was like that.'
"He's kind of like the best-kept secret. ... He's one of those sneaky players. As far as all the receivers that I've been around in my career that I got to play with, I'll say he's up there amongst the guys that are really never covered [in the media]. His spatial awareness and ability to put his own savvy on different routes is special, and it's something that you don't just see."
At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Meyers is far from a physical specimen at wideout. And he's not considered a burner, either. But he's not afraid to go across the middle and take a big hit. And he has the skillset to run a go pattern and speed by an unsuspecting defensive back.
Enter Robertson, who often covers him in practice.
"We got guys like Hunter Renfrow, we call him Crazy Legs," Robertson said. "Then you got Tae, he's smooth. Jakobi is them rolled into one. He's smooth, explosive. Can go up and get the ball. A possession receiver. Me, personally, I think he's an all-around receiver and on top of that, some people underestimate his speed, man. He can run."
And, apparently, spit game.
"He's a quiet guy, but when you're in the game, man, he talks because he's confident," Robertson said. "He talks -- 'Come press me. You can't guard me. You're too small.' It's a lot, man.
"Some people don't see the competitor in him because the spotlight's not really on him, but he just plays his role. He not tripping. He's a guy that just wants to improve and for the football team to win."
While there is no doubt Adams is WR1, Meyers has made a case to be WR1.5. Consider: Meyers has had as many or more targets than Adams in five of the 11 games they've shared the field this season.
So how would Meyers characterize himself?
"Just a guy doing what he's got to do to feed his family," he shrugged. "That's all."
Then what does he bring to the Raiders' offense?
"I think a little consistency," Meyers said. "I try to be calm, cool, collected, every day. Try to make the plays that come my way, as often as I possibly can. So, I'm just trying to be the same guy every time I step on the field and, hopefully, we're all doing that."
Meyers has a fan in his running mate. Especially after his 33-yard over-the-shoulder grab against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"He works really hard at it and takes a lot of pride in his route running," Adams said of Meyers. "So, it makes it a lot easier on me when he hits a big one like he did on the right sideline the last game. We need more of that out of him moving forward, and the rest of the guys, too."
Meyers also had a game-clincher in the season opener at Denver ... even if he did not pick up the first down with his 7-yard catch at midfield on third-and-8 with three minutes to play. The unnecessary roughness hit he took from Broncos cornerback Kareem Jackson knocked him out cold and gave the Raiders a first down so Las Vegas could run out the clock to get the 17-16 win.
Meyers was not scared after the hit ... mostly, he said, because he did not remember it. Hence his reputation as a tough receiver.
"He practices like his hair is on fire every single day, works extremely hard," said rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. "And I really don't think I've ever heard Jakobi complain about something or make an excuse."
Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce advised watching Meyers' "body of work."
"He finds that linebacker, safety, he points at him, and he puts his face right in it," Pierce said. "Then you watch him catch a slant and go to the crib, and have the speed and agility to make guys miss. He is a very unique player, in a sense, because of the attention that Davante gets with the double teams and all the attention.
"If you really watch [No.] 16, that's a pretty goddamn good football player. And I told him the other day -- that's the guy, that when I walk down a dark alley, he's coming with me."
Pierce wasn't stealing a line from Robertson's joke book, either.
"I mean, he's a real straight-up guy, so I'm sure he meant that genuinely," Meyers said. "Or, at least, I'm hoping so. And I appreciate that, for sure."
And there goes Meyers, taking the high road. Again.