FOXBORO, Mass. -- Jakobi Meyers is Mac Jones' favorite target on gamedays, but their chemistry is equally strong off the field.
After Meyers put on a great performance in a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones said the fourth-year slot receiver has been one of his "close friends" since he was drafted by the Patriots in 2021. The two were on the same page throughout training camp and Meyers will enter the regular season as New England's top receiver.
"I trust him," Jones said after the Aug. 24 practice in Henderson, Nev. "We see the game the same way, sometimes without even talking about it. ... He's just a tough, smart football player. I'll take him on my team -- forever, hopefully."
On Thursday, Meyers was asked how he and Jones became such good friends.
"It's pretty easy to build a connection with Mac," he said. "He's one of those guys who is just a great guy. If you were to meet him outside, you wouldn't think he was a first-round pick who has won this or won that. Accomplished this, accomplished that. You would think he's a normal, goofy young man. It's easy to be around him, and that's me and all the other guys.
"We enjoy being around him, competing with him, for him. So, like I said, he's a great guy to be around."
Meyers also offered insight into his strong on-field rapport with the Patriots' franchise quarterback.
"It takes a lot of trust to get there," Meyers said. "And the fact that he looks for me in certain situations, I guess I must be doing some things right. That could change really quickly. That's the NFL. Things change fast. That's something I have to go out there and keep proving over and over again. It doesn't really matter what I did last year."
Despite the struggles of New England's offense, Jones' emerging leadership was a clear bright spot during the offseason. Meyers was on that bandwagon back in spring practices and remains on it with the regular season just over a week away.
"His leadership has been crazy this year," Meyers said of Jones. "He's always in the building, and he knows what he wants. It's been helpful for us. We are just trying to make sure we are there for him."
The Patriots have many things to fix on their offense. But they can take solace in the fact that Jones and Meyers have formed their own -- and admittedly lesser -- version of the Tom Brady-Julian Edelman connection.
