The New England Patriots are positioned for an offseason filled with many looming questions, one of which centers around wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Meyers, 26, is set to embark on free agency. Entering the market as an unrestricted free agent following his one-year, $3.9 million contract with New England last season, Meyers’ next deal will be the first major payday since entering the league undrafted in 2019.
But a recent projection on Meyers’ next contract shows it’ll likely require a major commitment in order for the Patriots to retain him, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“How a player’s market develops can often be unpredictable, and it takes only one team to blow it out of the water,” Reiss wrote Monday. “But if Meyers ultimately lands a deal consistent with those of his ilk, he’ll be earning in the range of $15 million to $20 million per season.”
Such a contract would place Meyers as the highest annual earner on New England’s roster, surpassing linebacker Matthew Judon, who currently resides in that spot and is earning $13.6 million per year.
So, is Meyers worth retaining at that price?
While it’s ultimately up to head coach Bill Belichick, team owner Robert Kraft and the rest of the Patriots’ front office to decide, this bullet point on New England’s offseason agenda is perplexing. On the one hand, yes, the argument can be made that Meyers is among the top receivers set to be available on the market. That’s fair. Yet, on the other hand, Meyers would be highlighting a class of options that lean more toward the underwhelming side. Aside from him, there are Michael Thomas, DJ Clark, Marvin Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Then again, Meyers is a proven fit in New England. As the projections suggest, Meyers isn’t a top-of-the-league earner for his position, nor should he be. He’s not on that level. However, with Belichick and the Patriots needing a response after their playoff miss in 2022, finding that happy medium spot would certainly be one of the organization’s brighter moves in the last four years. And perhaps that doesn’t require the Patriots to touch the $20 million range.
Therefore, when accounting for New England’s current state and position, yes. Meyers is worth a well-deserved payday of some sort. Otherwise, Belichick and the Patriots could be expected to hit the drawing board and experiment with prospects in the NFL draft in April.
Meyers had one of his strongest campaigns last season. In his fourth year, he tallied a team-leading 804 receiving yards off 67 receptions with six touchdowns and two fumbles in 14 games. That came just one year removed from when Meyers recorded a career-high 866 yards on 83 targets through 17 contests.
Free agency begins March 15.
