Jakobi Meyers signs with Las Vegas

snowmanny

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Deathofthebambino

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This is definitely an underpay honestly, Kirk money wasn't likely, but if he held out for the best offer he probably gets $15M a year with $20M+ guaranteed from someone. This deal both in $ and timing certainly indicates a guy who wanted to play in a certain system for certain guys.
I agree completely. I thought he'd get north of 15mil/per, and considering we've heard no smoke about him meeting/talking to other teams, haven't heard about interest from other teams, I think there's a real possibility he told Rosenhaus "get me the best deal you can in Vegas, I'm going there."

Anything else makes no sense. He had the opportunity to set the market for WR's in FA this year, the Pats were in a no-leverage spot and as much as I think BB is a disaster when it comes to the WR position, I'd be shocked if the Pats weren't willing to beat/match that offer, even given their history at re-signing UDFA's in the past (JC Jackson, Butler, etc.). This just seems like a guy who wanted to go to a particular place, play with a particular team and coaches and he took it. Good for him.

I also don't think Jakobi is a #1, and in Vegas, he'll be the 3rd, 4th option in that passing attack, which is what he should have been here.

But hey, we basically took Agholor from the Raiders for the same money that the Raiders just gave Meyers, so there's that, or something.
 

Cellar-Door

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The one good thing here... new OC, new depth chart..... The Kendrick Bourne breakout is coming.
 

jsinger121

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The whole spending spree that off-season seemed to be Kraft reacting to Brady winning in Tampa, no? It certainly didn’t work and I suspect the Pats are back to their old model of trying to find value. Of course, without a great core and the GOAT, I’m not sure how compelling a place to play New England is anymore.
it’s not. They literally should have stripped the entire thing down after Brady, bottomed out and built it up again with high draft picks but they didn’t. They are now stuck in the worst place to be in the league.
 

Rudy's Curve

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Bengals have been pretty vocal they aren’t trading him. I’ll find a link

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bears/tee-higgins-trade-talk-silenced-bengals-gm-duke-tobin-nfl-combine?amp

That being said he’s going to get paid soon so the Bengals might be convinced.
He's not getting traded this year. I could see a franchise and trade next year if they can't reach an agreement, but the team owned by Mike Brown in the middle of a Super Bowl window is not trading Tee Higgins now for anything less than the moon.
 

Deathofthebambino

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it’s not. They literally should have stripped the entire thing down after Brady, bottomed out and built it up again with high draft picks but they didn’t. They are now stuck in the worst place to be in the league.
I don't know, they might be stripping it down now for Caleb Williams in 2024. :)
 

Toe Nash

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but 538 says he's the 4th best WR in the league
It's really ESPN and it's an objective measure. I think it's worth something. Obviously the player tracking data absent any relation with the QB, coaches or what the offense is doing is not perfect but I wouldn't just dismiss it entirely.
 

Jeff Van GULLY

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This screams to me Zay Flowers SZN. While smaller, Zay has similar versatility to how they used Meyers (eventually). Yes, he will be used a lot in the slot but he'll still see outside work (75% of his snaps at BC were on the outside).
 

Super Nomario

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Meyers / Renfrow could be a very, very cool combination. I was with a few SoSHers when we missed out drafting him, getting Meyers instead. I loved the converted QB to slot receiver story, it was like Edelman 2.0. Alas, it was never quite the same and now both Meyers and Renfrow will be running like little bees catching passes from whoever is replacing the injured Jimmy G that game.
I'm wondering if signing Meyers makes Renfrow available. They can save a decent chunk of money if they trade him soon and he had a down year last year.
 

kenneycb

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It's really ESPN and it's an objective measure. I think it's worth something. Obviously the player tracking data absent any relation with the QB, coaches or what the offense is doing is not perfect but I wouldn't just dismiss it entirely.
Sure but anything that says Kendrick Bourne is on the same level as Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Stefon Diggs (I'm assuming they're up there) should be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism.
 

Shelterdog

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it’s not. They literally should have stripped the entire thing down after Brady, bottomed out and built it up again with high draft picks but they didn’t. They are now stuck in the worst place to be in the league.
High draft picks aren't especially helpful in football if it doesn't help you get a top quarterback (and also if you don't use them well). The higher first round picks are a little better but also more expensive and the rest of the draft becomes a crap shoot pretty fast.

Saying they're in the worst place in the league is a little hyperbolic. They're pretty average and like most teams to get better they need good offseasons and drafts.
 

Salem's Lot

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it’s not. They literally should have stripped the entire thing down after Brady, bottomed out and built it up again with high draft picks but they didn’t. They are now stuck in the worst place to be in the league.
Rodgers going to the Jets probably cements them into last place in the AFC East so they’ll probably bottom out this year anyway.
 

Van Everyman

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I'm a little torn on Meyers. On one hand, he was productive for the Pats and Mac's most trusted receiver at a time when he didn't have many. On the other, he was an undrafted FA and not a guy teams had to scheme against -- kind of the definition of a dude you let somebody else pay in FA.

My sense is that if BOB felt the Pats *needed* Jakobi in their offense, he'd have been back. Since he's not I suspect that wasn't the case.
 

Kliq

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High draft picks aren't especially helpful in football if it doesn't help you get a top quarterback (and also if you don't use them well). The higher first round picks are a little better but also more expensive and the rest of the draft becomes a crap shoot pretty fast.

Saying they're in the worst place in the league is a little hyperbolic. They're pretty average and like most teams to get better they need good offseasons and drafts.
Yeah, this isn't the NBA where being in the middle class is bad because it's hard to get top talent that way. In the NFL I'd say it's certainly better to have some high-level NFL talent and be some pieces away, then to have nothing but a higher first round draft pick. The Pats are in a better position imo, than say, the Texans who really did blow it up.

You only need to look at the two SB teams from this year, the Chiefs and Eagles, to see how teams succeeded without blowing everything up.
 

tims4wins

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I'm a little torn on Meyers. On one hand, he was productive for the Pats and Mac's most trusted receiver at a time when he didn't have many. On the other, he was an undrafted FA and not a guy teams had to scheme against -- kind of the definition of a dude you let somebody else pay in FA.

My sense is that if BOB felt the Pats *needed* Jakobi in their offense, he'd have been back. Since he's not I suspect that wasn't the case.
Completely agree with this take.
 

JM3

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As someone who grew up in Boston but intentionally lives in Vegas, I get it. Seems like a good fit with Jimmy G who is solid inside the hashes & in the short & intermediate ranges.

A bit disappointing on the Patriots end, but hopefully they have a plan.
 

DeadlySplitter

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Undrafted to 20+M guaranteed, good for him. Vegas can be Pats-light in the playoffs for me if Josh gets his shit together.

We should have probably kept him at this price, but honestly we're looking like a last place team in this division right now anyways. Let's see what the WR room looks like in May as well.
 

ElcaballitoMVP

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Meyers was a nice player. Dependable. But I never felt like he was a difference maker. I'd prefer the Pats try to go get someone who can be, whether that's via the draft (JSN, Flowers, Addison, etc) or trade.
 

Cellar-Door

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I'm a little torn on Meyers. On one hand, he was productive for the Pats and Mac's most trusted receiver at a time when he didn't have many. On the other, he was an undrafted FA and not a guy teams had to scheme against -- kind of the definition of a dude you let somebody else pay in FA.

My sense is that if BOB felt the Pats *needed* Jakobi in their offense, he'd have been back. Since he's not I suspect that wasn't the case.
My feeling on Jakobi before the offseason was that I thought he was a little underrated, but that I wasn't going to be upset when he left for $15M a year. At $11M a year I'm a little disappointed, but no clue what went into that on his end.

Either way, I do feel like Bourne can give you a big chunk of what Jakobi did, and that with the new offense, and hopefully Thornton improvements, he isn't a huge loss. I'd like to see them add passcatchers at TE and WR either in FA, trade or the draft, but Jakobi wasn't really a difference maker. Like losing Jakobi doesn't mean you need to trade for Hopkins, they aren't alternatives.
 

Seels

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I'm fine with it and feel that the only way you bring players like this back is if it's a clear win for the team. He's a loss, but he's not irreplaceable, and there are better odds that they can replace his production for less than 11m a year than that he adds value past 11m a year.

Seems like he's destined to be one of those players who underperforms and comes back to the Pats for a pittance
 

Justthetippett

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it’s not. They literally should have stripped the entire thing down after Brady, bottomed out and built it up again with high draft picks but they didn’t. They are now stuck in the worst place to be in the league.
They just need a QB, like 20+ teams in the league. This isn't the NBA. Teams improve dramatically all the time. Jakobi is a nice player on his rookie deal but not a great use of resources on this team. I would rather they seek out a twitcheir slot receiver.
 

BusRaker

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Jacobi was definitely a guy who could move the sticks though that didn't do too much for our "bend but don't break the defense" offense. Hopefully HH can taker on more of that role and we can find someone to help stretch the field. Hope he throws a TD pass or two for what's turning into Pats-West against our rivals. Everyone loves a good gadget play. I'll always remember his first TD not to be fucked up by the refs.
 

patinorange

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So far, the team is worse than the shitshow last year. I'll wait for the BB secret plan. Lamar Jackson? Mac trade?
Or are they going to piss away the season for a strip down?
Me, I will put Hopkins in the overrated category, with Boston fan favorites Grant Williams and the Pats defense.
Very sorry to see Jacobi go at that price.
 

ShaneTrot

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I feel weird about this. On one hand, he worked his way up from being a UDFA but he was the best receiver on pretty lame passing offenses since 2020. They need so much more juice. They need to take some WR swings in this draft and/or the trade market. Plus, the guy probably cost them a playoff appearance with one of the biggest fuck ups I have ever seen on a football field.
 

luckiestman

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FWIW, I mostly see the Pats on RZ and when they play Jets or have an isolated game so I don’t have a strong opinion on the guy.

From what I have seen this seems really cheap and I thought the guy played well with mediocre to bad qb play. This situation is puzzling to me.
 

Silverdude2167

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So far, the team is worse than the shitshow last year. I'll wait for the BB secret plan. Lamar Jackson? Mac trade?
Or are they going to piss away the season for a strip down?
Me, I will put Hopkins in the overrated category, with Boston fan favorites Grant Williams and the Pats defense.
Very sorry to see Jacobi go at that price.
A team that with better coaching is in the playoffs has not used much of there available cap space and you want to complain because a slot receiver was allowed to leave?
 

Bowser

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If Jakobi is our top WR, then we're not going anywhere. The time to make him a true fourth option on offense -- which is what he should be -- was before he cost $11MM per year, not after. Very happy for him, but I'd much rather put that money toward a difference maker on either side of the ball. We can get 80% of what Jakobi gave us for 20% of the $$$.
 

rodderick

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A team that with better coaching is in the playoffs has not used much of there available cap space and you want to complain because a slot receiver was allowed to leave?
He was their best player on offense the past three years. Why does he need to go for the Patriots to upgrade on that side of the ball again? They have all the cap space in the world, 5th in cap space for 2023, 2nd for 2024 and 3rd for 2025. They have endless margin to make room for moves. Why does 21 million guaranteed matter for a guy proven to work in your system? Grab one or two receivers better than Meyers if you want to upgrade, no reason to let him go.
 

Cellar-Door

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He was their best player on offense the past three years. Why does he need to go for the Patriots to upgrade on that side of the ball again? They have all the cap space in the world, 5th in cap space for 2023, 2nd for 2024 and 3rd for 2025. They have endless margin to make room for moves. Why does 21 million guaranteed matter for a guy proven to work in your system? Grab one or two receivers better than Meyers if you want to upgrade, no reason to let him go.
They could have... if he wanted to stay which is also a factor. But...they also need to think about roles. It could be they look at Thornton who they invested heavily in, Bourne and Parker, and look at where they want to add, and say... where is the spot for Jakobi... they might look at it and say... we like Thornton in the Z going forward, we like Bourne in the slot (or plan to draft a slot early), and Jakobi isn't an X... so is it worth giving him 3 years w/ 20+ guaranteed if we plan to fill his 2 potential positions with other guys with more explosive potential.

The Patriots need a WR upgrade, but they probably need it most at the X, and that isn't Jakobi. And long term they might see him as wasted money because he's pretty low ceiling compared to some other guys... now the floor is high, but given their QB situation, they need more explosiveness.
 

rodderick

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They could have... if he wanted to stay which is also a factor. But...they also need to think about roles. It could be they look at Thornton who they invested heavily in, Bourne and Parker, and look at where they want to add, and say... where is the spot for Jakobi... they might look at it and say... we like Thornton in the Z going forward, we like Bourne in the slot (or plan to draft a slot early), and Jakobi isn't an X... so is it worth giving him 3 years w/ 20+ guaranteed if we plan to fill his 2 potential positions with other guys with more explosive potential.

The Patriots need a WR upgrade, but they probably need it most at the X, and that isn't Jakobi. And long term they might see him as wasted money because he's pretty low ceiling compared to some other guys... now the floor is high, but given their QB situation, they need more explosiveness.
I'm sure the team that played Amendola and Edelman concomitantly for years could find a way to fit a more twitchy slot guy and Meyers on the same field. Bourne isn't that guy either, he fits that profile even less than Meyers. Not a "get open quick in space" guy.
 

Cellar-Door

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I'm sure the team that played Amendola and Edelman concomitantly for years couldn't find a way to fit a more twitchy slot guy and Meyers on the same field. Bourne isn't that guy either, he fits that profile even less than Meyers. Not a "get open quick in space" guy.
They did that when they were playing an offense predicated on long drives with an elite QB, and they did it closing in on 10 years ago when it was an advantage against teams that didn't have small quick corners.
And... Bourne is more of a slot than Meyers, though both are more of a Z. He's much twitchier off the line, and he's generally out-produced Meyers on a per-snap basis in the slot.

Either way, I think the Patriots had 3 guys whose best spot is the Z (Meyers, Bourne, Thornton) and they took that into consideration when deciding on Meyers.

We'll see what they do the rest of the offseason, but I think there are reasons to think it's an ok decision... assuming it even was theirs to make, and Jakobi didn't say "I want to go play for Josh and Mick"
 

patinorange

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Are you expecting a press conference where they announce “the plan”? We’re one day into free agency, haven’t had the draft yet, still have the trade market available, and haven’t had any post June 1/camp acquisitions yet. Good grief.
Who are they going to sign? Is there a Mac trade brewing? And yup, let's see the draft. Not expecting Bill to live chat with us on the future any time soon.
So, I guess we should all agree that letting Meyers go is a smart move. Sorry, disagree.
 

rodderick

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They did that when they were playing an offense predicated on long drives with an elite QB, and they did it closing in on 10 years ago when it was an advantage against teams that didn't have small quick corners.
And... Bourne is more of a slot than Meyers, though both are more of a Z. He's much twitchier off the line, and he's generally out-produced Meyers on a per-snap basis in the slot.

Either way, I think the Patriots had 3 guys whose best spot is the Z (Meyers, Bourne, Thornton) and they took that into consideration when deciding on Meyers.

We'll see what they do the rest of the offseason, but I think there are reasons to think it's an ok decision... assuming it even was theirs to make, and Jakobi didn't say "I want to go play for Josh and Mick"
Yeah, I'm not buying the rationale that Bourne was better in the slot. Were that the case he'd be starting there more often. Meyers was pretty much the only player whose production was unaffected by the Patricia debacle, I still think it's a mistake to let him go for that kind of contract. He was 32nd in yards per game last year and every name above him is a big time player (and he didn't get a big time contract).
 

DJnVa

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1. JSN at 14.
2. Trade the #2 and a pick next year for Jeudy.
3. Profit!
 

cornwalls@6

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Who are they going to sign? Is there a Mac trade brewing? And yup, let's see the draft. Not expecting Bill to live chat with us on the future any time soon.
So, I guess we should all agree that letting Meyers go is a smart move. Sorry, disagree.
C’mon with the straw men. The thread has been mixed about losing him. My point is that the plan, as it is every year, for every team, is to use every avenue of talent acquisition to construct the best roster they can for this season. One day into the process is absurdly early to be complaining about how it’s going.