Devin McCourty is ‘shocked’ that the Patriots let Jakobi Meyers go
"From talking to him, I think he wanted to be back here," McCourty said.
The market for Jakobi Meyers was weaker than anticipated, and the Patriots still weren’t able to strike a deal with their most productive receiver from last season.
Meyers signed a 3-year, $33 million dollar contract with Las Vegas. He’ll receive $21 million in guaranteed money.
Former Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty was “shocked” that Meyers left on such a deal. Some analysts predicted Meyers could have commanded around $15 million per year.
McCourty thought that the price range ended up being reasonable enough for New England to bring Meyers back.
“So when I saw what he signed for, I was kind of like, ‘Damn.’” McCourty said during an appearance on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show. “Like, I thought that would have been an easy contract to bring him back here, and from talking to him, I think he wanted to be back here.”
Meyers, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2019, emerged as one of New England’s top receiving targets. He caught 67 passes for 804 yards and six touchdowns last season.
“To me,” McCourty said. “If you get a guy that is going to be highly productive on your team at $11 [million], you’ve got to take it, or you’ve got to know what’s next in the slot. And for me, being there last year, I don’t know who the slot is. Like, I don’t know.”
Meyers was arguably the top free agent receiver in the NFL, and he was already within the Patriots organization.
Ultimately, Meyers decided to walk away for the same amount per year [$11 million} as the Patriots are paying Nelson Agholor.
“It’s hard to turn down Las Vegas,” Meyers told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. “When you look at their offense, when you look at their coaches. They wanted me, I wanted them. Unfortunately it didn’t work out with the Patriots. I put a lot of effort in my time there. I appreciate them, but God works in mysterious ways. I’m blessed.”
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