Jakobi Meyers on Patriots Release: 'No Goodbyes!'
This offseason, former New England Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers left the team he had spent his entire career with to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.
While the possibility of leaving New England was always there, the speed of the free agency process caught Meyers off guard. The now-former Patriots receiver recently reflected on his journey and how it felt to leave his old squad.
“I was surprised with how everything went down, but I was an open book — whatever happened, I was going to trust God, go with it and be excited,” Meyers told the Boston Globe. “It was more disappointing that I didn’t get to say goodbye to a lot of people that I really wanted to say bye to, or I didn’t get to say a full goodbye. That was probably the hardest part. But as far as the business side of it, I’m blessed to be here, and that’s all that matters.”
Meyers joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and eventually grew to become a key part of the offense. Last season, he was easily New England's best receiver with 67 receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns.
As one of the top receivers in a relatively weak free agency class, Meyers took the opportunity to cash in on a three-year, $33 million contract with the Raiders. The Patriots moved on quickly, though, signing receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a nearly-identical contract a day later. Meyers took notice of his apparent replacement, tweeting out "cold world lol" in response to the news.
Rather than being thrust into a No. 1 role in Las Vegas, Meyers will now get to be the No. 2 receiver in Las Vegas behind all-pro Davante Adams. In addition to a role that better fits his skillset, reuniting with former offensive coordinator and current Raiders coach Josh McDaniels likely also played a role in Meyers' decision to head west.
While the speed of free agency may have left Meyers surprised, the reality is that the NFL is a fast-moving league. Now he and the Patriots must move forward after parting ways.
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