Days earlier than free company opened final March, Jakobi Meyers discovered himself caught within the NFL’s model of the good friend zone.
Front-office evaluators seen the ex-Patriot pretty much as good, not nice. Solid, however unspectacular. A receiver with a fantastic persona who fulfilled his primary duties akin to creating good and selecting up the tab.
But Meyers did little outdoors of that to excite them; like gaining yards after the catch, breaking tackles and drawing defensive consideration. Thus, no staff needed to marry itself to the 26-year-old financially, and as a substitute prolonged timid affords inside a once-booming huge receiver market.
Only one staff, nevertheless, appeared intent on a breakup: the Patriots.
Days earlier than signing with Las Vegas, a shocked Meyers instructed inquiring teammates and staffers: “They don’t want me.”
One league supply indicated the Pats weren’t even the runner-up for Meyers, regardless of getting into free company with the sixth-most cap house within the NFL. This week, Bill Belichick claimed Meyers was a precedence in an offseason when he re-signed 13 of the Patriots’ 16 different free brokers. Did Belichick consider the 2 sides had been ever shut?
“Relatively, yeah,” Belichick mentioned. “But free agency is free agency.”
Meyers finally signed a three-year, $33 million cope with Las Vegas, a contract that shocked brokers and executives with no connection to Meyers or the negotiations. More surprises awaited within the nice print.
The Raiders allowed themselves an out after the primary season, which means they may reduce Meyers with out a lot penalty and successfully render the deal a one-year, $11 million pact. The solely ensures in Meyers’ authentic contract had been a $5.5 million signing bonus and $5 million wage for the 2023 season, per the Herald’s Doug Kyed. (The deal has since been restructured.)
The day after Meyers reached phrases, the Patriots delivered one other shock by inking his alternative, JuJu Smith-Schuster, to a contract with the identical size and most worth: three years, $33 million. Meyers tweeted in response: “Cold world lol”
In the lead-up to free company, the Pats had been cut up internally on whether or not to retain Meyers, their main receiver for 3 straight seasons. Sources consider front-office decision-makers offered Belichick on Smith-Schuster’s yards after catch potential over what they’d in Meyers. That, once more, served as a shock to outsiders, contemplating the Patriots weren’t linked to Smith-Schuster in 2022 when he had additionally been a free agent.
“Bill was never a JuJu guy,” one supply mentioned.
Yet in 2023, after an obvious profession renaissance in Kansas City, the Patriots supplied Smith-Schuster more cash than another suitor. Fast ahead, and his contract can be of no concern to followers or members of the group if Smith-Schuster was producing equally to Meyers.
Patriots may as properly see what they’ve in Malik Cunningham at this level
But he hasn’t. Smith-Schuster’s manufacturing has as a substitute cratered, undercut by a persistent knee damage the staff has been managing since his arrival. His burst is gone.
Through 5 video games, Smith-Schuster has taken 4 display screen passes for six yards. Downfield, his routes are sometimes rounded. He’s caught 14 passes for 86 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Unlike Meyers’ deal, there isn’t a simple out for the Patriots, who assured Smith-Schuster $16 million that ought to preserve him in New England by means of 2024 except the entrance workplace decides to eat sizable useless cash this offseason. Meanwhile, Meyers retains 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 mentioned 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 level, Patriots receivers entered final Sunday averaging the least separation on targets within the league, per Next Gen Stats. Against New Orleans, they went 3-of-13 for 15 yards when going through man protection. The Patriots’ go offense presently ranks useless final by Expected Points Added (EPA).
J.C. Jackson gaining confidence again in return with Patriots
Studying Las Vegas tape, gamers and coaches see the identical Meyers they knew in New England: a 6-foot-2 goal who knew find out how to separate with above-average quickness, even when he was restricted after the catch. Meyers has 25 receptions for 274 yards and three touchdowns, all greater than any particular person Patriot and greater than two of the staff’s high receivers — Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker — mixed.
“He’s a great player. We saw it,” Pats safeties coach Brian Belichick mentioned 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 huge receiver Kendrick Bourne revealed this week they’ve stayed in contact with Meyers. Bourne mentioned he was initially shocked by his departure, however has loved watching him thrive in Las Vegas.
“Yeah, it was kind of surprising, but it’s a business. That’s what happens,” Bourne mentioned. “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 an identical name to go away the 49ers for New England. He felt needed by the Patriots throughout his first dip into free company, then took off for a profession yr; the identical path Meyers seems to be taking out west, presumably on the expense of his outdated staff.
“(Meyers)’s familiar with Josh (McDaniels) over there, so it’s good. He’s comfortable, knows what he’s doing,” Bourne mentioned. “It’s awesome to see him get paid, get what we work for as wideouts.”
Pats robust to observe for ex-players
Edelman wasn’t the one ex-Patriot to name out his former staff this week.
In his newest look as an analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” one-time Patriots security and captain Devin McCourty advised the staff is perhaps higher off tanking after a 1-4 begin.
“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 mentioned. “I believe the irritating factor is, everybody needs New England to win. If you are within the New England space, it is all about Super Bowls. … This staff now could be, ‘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 government who used to steer the entrance workplace, highlighted the staff’s turnover differential (second-worst within the NFL) and lagging participant improvement 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 mentioned. “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 or not the staff’s tradition could also be falling aside.
“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 mentioned. “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 positioned backup linebacker Raekwon McMillan on injured reserve, ending his season earlier than it may even start. By the top of this season, he can have been sidelined for 2 of his first three years in New England. McMillan additionally missed the 2021 season after tearing his ACL in coaching camp.
Despite this, the Patriots prolonged McMillan an August, conserving him underneath contract by means of 2024. Belichick has seen worth in conserving the seven-year veteran round this season, together with on the sideline throughout dwelling video games. Belichick defined why on Friday.
“(McMillan’s) been great,” Belichick mentioned. “He’s been right here mainly daily apart from some rehab he did on the finish of August. He’s been right here daily, engaged, concerned. It helps him study. He’s been a great voice of expertise, is aware of the protection, is aware of the NFL, is aware of our state of affairs, is aware of how we do issues.
“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 yr, McMillan recorded 35 tackles and one sack over 16 recreation appearances in a rotational function.
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’ protection pointing fingers on the offense.
Source: www.bostonherald.com