Jakobi Meyers’ time with the Patriots might be on the verge of coming to an end.
Although Meyers previously expressed a desire to keep playing in New England, the wide receiver finds himself in an extremely advantageous spot entering the new NFL year. On the heels of back-to-back productive seasons in Foxboro, Meyers is about to become arguably the best wide receiver available on the free-agent market.
Whether Meyers is actually worth the money he’s about to land is up for debate. But a receiver-needy team is going to pay up for the 26-year-old and history suggests it won’t be the Patriots.
“According to an NFL executive source, one team that explored the potential market for Meyers believes it will need to be in the range of $15 million-plus per year to sign him,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday. “If that’s the way it unfolds (and projections don’t always come to reality), some around the NFL don’t see the Patriots retaining Meyers based on their history.”
Reiss’ report came days after fellow insider Mike Giardi claimed “no one” will pay Meyers north of $15 million annually. However, the NFL Network reporter revealed a deal with an AAV between $12 million and $14 million is “definitely in play.” According to Giardi, the Patriots plan to let Meyers “see what’s out there” and hope he comes back to his original team to have a final conversation.
Meyers can start seeing what’s out there Monday when the NFL’s legal tampering period opens.
