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It’s not uncommon among those who cover the Patriots to see Bill Belichick provide little else but short-snipped answers and grouchy avoidances during his media sessions, especially after losses.
But it is uncommon for the Patriots to be 1-4 and coming off a pair of losses that featured a combined score of 72-3, which means that Belichick’s answers are at an all-time high for grouchy snipped-ness.
That’s especially going to be true when he has to answer for one of the poorest decisions he’s made in recent years on a personnel front—this winter’s decision to let receiver Jakobi Meyers sign with the Raiders in free agency rather than keep him in New England. With Las Vegas next on the schedule, that’s Belichick’s uncomfortable topic of the week.
Asked on Wednesday about what went into the decision not to bring Meyers back, Belichick said:
“Well, he was a free agent and signed to the Raiders. There’s a lot of guys who leave and change teams in free agency.”
And there was more of that kind of fun from the Patriots’ transcript of Belichick’s presser:
“Bill, is there any reason why Jakobi Myers wasn’t more of a priority in free agency?”
“BB: He was a priority. We talked to him.”
“Do you feel like you were ever close?”
“BB: Relatively, yeah. But free agency is free agency.”
Jakobi Meyers on Patriots Decision: ‘Cold World’
Fact is, the Patriots did not value Meyers the way they should have in free agency last year, and sought to take a gamble on paying Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster rather than continuing to let Meyers develop in New England.
Meyers signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Raiders, with $21 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. The Patriots gave a three-year $25.5 million contract to Smith-Schuster, but with only $16 million guaranteed. The Patriots can get out of Smith-Schuster’s contract after next season, and their thinking clearly was that a gamble on Smith-Schuster was more attractive than a sure thing like Meyers.
When Smith-Schuster’s contract was announced on Twitter, Meyers tweeted out, “Cold world lol.” The implication was obvious—he wanted to remain with New England but the Patriots did not make him a suitable offer.
Jakobi Meyers wanted to be a Patriot.
Don’t get it twisted.
Jakobi Meyers Has Been Excellent for Raiders
But the Patriots’ loss has been the Raiders gain. Now in his fifth NFL season, Meyers is having a career year, averaging 6.3 catches and 68.5 yards per game. He sat out in Week 2 for the Raiders after suffering a concussion in the opener, but he is currently on pace for 100 catches and 1,096 yards receiving. Both would be career highs.
He is also on pace for 12 touchdowns, which is more than the eight total touchdowns he had in his Patriots career.
At Pro Football Focus, Meyers comes in with a grade of 70.0, which ranks 39th in the NFL among 110 wide receivers. Smith-Schuster has a grade of 53.0, which is 96th – yes, the guy the Patriots chose ahead of Meyers is the 15th-worst regular receiver in the league so far.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran said that the Meyers decision is emblematic of what has gone wrong in New England:
“Meyers was a premeditated faceplant by the Patriots and Bill Belichick, in which the plan was to move on from a player that everyone but Bill Belichick could tell was one of their best and then replacing him with an injured player whose best days were behind him …
“Even though Jakobi was right in front of him for four years, he apparently didn’t think that Meyers was $10 million good.”
Turns out, he is. Just don’t expect Belichick to admit that.
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Patriots’ Bill Belichick Attempts to Defend ‘Faceplant’ Decision on Jakobi Meyers