Jakobi Meyers Reveals Just How Cheap Patriots Got With Him vs. JuJu Smith-Schuster

The New England Patriots wide receiver unit was below average this season, as their best wide receiver statistically was rookie Demario Douglas, who led the team with 561 yards. 

The sixth-round pick surprisingly developed into one of the more reliable receivers on the team, which is crazy to think about, as the Patriots started the season with Kendrick Bourne and Juju Smith-Schuster. New England signed Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $25 million deal last offseason.

New England didn’t have to subject themselves to this if they re-signed Jakobi Meyers last offseason. Meyers shockingly signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders after spending the first four years of his career with the Patriots.

However, the 27-year-old receiver told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mass Show Monday that New England was $1 million short of the offer he received from the Raiders. 

“They just wouldn’t budge. At the end of the day, (Bill Belichick) didn’t want to move,” Meyers said (h/t Mark Daniels of MassLive.com). “And I respected it. Like it is his job to do what’s best for his team or what he thinks is best for the team. It just didn’t align on what I felt like I was worth.”

As previously stated, the Pats could’ve used Meyers as the wide receiver unit struggled mightily this season. In his first season with the Raiders, the 6-foot-2 receiver posted 71 receptions (87 targets) for 807 yards and eight touchdowns (career-high).

Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster only had 29 receptions (47 targets) for 260 yards and a touchdown in 11 games this season. He was placed on injured reserve after dealing with multiple injuries.

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