NFL notes: Why the Patriots let reliable receiver Jakobi Meyers walk and what went wrong
Days before free agency opened last March, Jakobi Meyers found himself stuck in the NFL’s version of the friend zone.
Front-office evaluators viewed the ex-Patriot as good, not great. Solid, but unspectacular. A receiver with a great personality who fulfilled his basic duties akin to making nice and picking up the tab.
But Meyers did little outside of that to excite them; like gaining yards after the catch, breaking tackles and drawing defensive attention. Thus, no team wanted to marry itself to the 26-year-old financially, and instead extended timid offers within a once-booming wide receiver market.
Only one team, however, seemed intent on a breakup: the Patriots.
Days before signing with Las Vegas, a shocked Meyers told inquiring teammates and staffers: “They don’t want me.”
One league source indicated the Pats weren’t even the runner-up for Meyers, despite entering free agency with the sixth-most cap space in the NFL. This week, Bill Belichick claimed Meyers was a priority in an offseason when he re-signed 13 of the Patriots’ 16 other free agents. Did Belichick believe the two sides were ever close?
“Relatively, yeah,” Belichick said. “But free agency is free agency.”
Meyers eventually signed a three-year, $33 million deal with Las Vegas, a contract that surprised agents and executives with no connection to Meyers or the negotiations. More surprises awaited in the fine print.
The Raiders allowed themselves an out after the first season, meaning they could cut Meyers without much penalty and effectively render the deal a one-year, $11 million pact. The only guarantees in Meyers’ original contract were a $5.5 million signing bonus and $5 million salary for the 2023 season, per the Herald’s Doug Kyed. (The deal has since been restructured.)
The day after Meyers reached terms, the Patriots delivered another shock by inking his replacement, JuJu Smith-Schuster, to a contract with the same length and maximum value: three years, $33 million. Meyers tweeted in response: “Cold world lol”
In the lead-up to free agency, the Pats had been split internally on whether to retain Meyers, their leading receiver for three straight seasons. Sources believe front-office decision-makers sold Belichick on Smith-Schuster’s yards after catch ability over what they had in Meyers. That, again, served as a surprise to outsiders, considering the Patriots weren’t connected to Smith-Schuster in 2022 when he had also been a free agent.
“Bill was never a JuJu guy,” one source said.
Yet in 2023, after an apparent career renaissance in Kansas City, the Patriots offered Smith-Schuster more money than any other suitor. Fast forward, and his contract would be of no concern to fans or members of the organization if Smith-Schuster was producing similarly to Meyers.
Patriots might as well see what they have in Malik Cunningham at this point
But he hasn't. Smith-Schuster's production has instead cratered, undercut by a persistent knee injury the team has been managing since his arrival. His burst is gone.
Through five games, Smith-Schuster has taken four screen passes for six yards. Downfield, his routes are often rounded. He's caught 14 passes for 86 yards and zero touchdowns.
Unlike Meyers' deal, there is no easy out for the Patriots, who guaranteed Smith-Schuster $16 million that should keep him in New England through 2024 unless the front office decides to eat sizable dead money this offseason. Meanwhile, Meyers keeps plugging away in Las Vegas to the dismay of his ex-teammates.
"I'm still a little shook on the Jakobi Meyers departure. I didn't get that," Julian Edelman said Monday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. "(Meyers) could separate a lot. He could run routes. He was tough in the run game. He would go in and block (with) force. And that's what you preach as a New England receiver: get open, catch the ball, and block in the run game."
Edelman continued: "This receiver group we have, it just seems like they're struggling to create separation regardless of the reason. They haven't been able to separate."
To Edelman's point, Patriots receivers entered last Sunday averaging the least separation on targets in the league, per Next Gen Stats. Against New Orleans, they went 3-of-13 for 15 yards when facing man coverage. The Patriots' pass offense currently ranks dead last by Expected Points Added (EPA).
J.C. Jackson gaining confidence back in return with Patriots
Studying Las Vegas tape, players and coaches see the same Meyers they knew in New England: a 6-foot-2 target who knew how to separate with above-average quickness, even if he was limited after the catch. Meyers has 25 receptions for 274 yards and three touchdowns, all more than any individual Patriot and more than two of the team's top receivers — Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker — combined.
"He's a great player. We saw it," Pats safeties coach Brian Belichick said of Meyers this week. "We've seen a lot of him over the years here. And certainly the thing you remember about Jakobi is him creating separation at the top of the route, and being just a great, savvy, instinctive football player."
“He goes hard," Patriots corner J.C. Jackson added Friday. "I would say Jakobi is a guy who goes hard every play. You really can’t tell if he’s running a route or if he’s about to block people. So you’ve just got to be on it with him.”
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne revealed this week they've stayed in touch with Meyers. Bourne said he was initially taken aback by his departure, but has enjoyed watching him thrive in Las Vegas.
"Yeah, it was kind of surprising, but it's a business. That's what happens," Bourne said. "So kudos to him. Sometimes you've got to think about your future, and it was tough to lose him. But it's good he got what he's worth."
In 2021, Bourne made a similar call to leave the 49ers for New England. He felt wanted by the Patriots during his first dip into free agency, then took off for a career year; the same path Meyers appears to be taking out west, possibly at the expense of his old team.
"(Meyers)'s familiar with Josh (McDaniels) over there, so it's good. He's comfortable, knows what he's doing," Bourne said. "It's awesome to see him get paid, get what we work for as wideouts."
Pats tough to watch for ex-players
Edelman wasn't the only ex-Patriot to call out his former team this week.
In his latest appearance as an analyst on NBC's "Football Night in America," one-time Patriots safety and captain Devin McCourty suggested the team might be better off tanking after a 1-4 start.
"When you look at their offense and you look at the first five games, they've given up four touchdowns while they were on offense. You can't win any games like that," McCourty said. "I think the frustrating thing is, everyone wants New England to win. If you're in the New England area, it's all about Super Bowls. ... This team now is, ‘Are we going to win or are we going to just keep the game within two scores?’
"I don’t know where they turn to try to find answers to try to turn this season around. Their best bet might be ‘tank it’ or whatever you want to call it and get a great draft pick."
NFL Network analyst Scott Pioli, a former Patriots executive who used to lead the front office, highlighted the team's turnover differential (second-worst in the NFL) and lagging player development on "Good Morning Football."
"When I look at this a little bit deeper, one of the things I see is they've got young players that don't seem to be developing at the rapid pace they used to. They need to have young players playing," Pioli said. "And looking a little bit deeper, I see the absence of (former offensive line coach) Dante Scarnecchia really impacting that offensive line and the players developing."
In an interview with the Herald, former Patriots captain and three-time Super Bowl champion James White questioned whether the team's culture may be falling apart.
"As a former player, it's hard to watch. Guys like Devin (McCourty) and myself, they're not in the locker room; guys who embraced the Patriots culture, the winning mentality that we had on a day-to-day basis. Those guys are not there," White said. "And I think obviously they've got good football players on the team, but guys that haven't been a part of that (culture) — maybe the guys' buy-in isn't quite exactly where it needs to be from a preparation standpoint or never just performance standpoint on Sundays."
Belichick hypes backup LB
Back in May, the Patriots placed backup linebacker Raekwon McMillan on injured reserve, ending his season before it could even begin. By the end of this season, he will have been sidelined for two of his first three years in New England. McMillan also missed the 2021 season after tearing his ACL in training camp.
Despite this, the Patriots extended McMillan an August, keeping him under contract through 2024. Belichick has seen value in keeping the seven-year veteran around this season, including on the sideline during home games. Belichick explained why on Friday.
"(McMillan's) been great," Belichick said. "He’s been here basically every day other than some rehab he did at the end of August. He’s been here every day, engaged, involved. It helps him learn. He’s been a good voice of experience, knows the defense, knows the NFL, knows our situation, knows how we do things.
"He’s been a great help to the younger players, but also just kind of good leadership, good inspiration for all of us. He’s doing what he can do. He’s doing all he can to help the team, and I think everybody totally respects and appreciates that. He’s been awesome."
Last year, McMillan recorded 35 tackles and one sack over 16 game appearances in a rotational role.
Quote of the Week
"I was kind of brought up by my dad and grandpa like, 'Get your own (expletive) together.' Like, don't be worried about the rest of the people in the room." — Patriots safeties coach Steve Belichick on concern over the Patriots' defense pointing fingers at the offense.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/eyzkSa2
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