What losing Jakobi Meyers means for the Patriots going forward

If the Patriots really want to help Mac Jones and their offense, the time to act is now.

On Tuesday, Jakobi Meyers agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. The news means Meyers reunited with his former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the Patriots seemingly lose their leading receiver from the past three seasons.

There’s no sugarcoating this – the Patriots don’t have an in-house replacement for Meyers. This only adds to the team’s list of legitimate needs. The Patriots are currently without a starting right tackle, starting free safety and a slot receiver.

There’s no minimizing Meyers’ impact in New England. Last season, he played injured but in 14 games finished with 67 receptions for a team-leading 804 yards and six touchdowns. It was clear that Meyers was the most talented pass catcher in Foxborough. Truthfully, that’s been the case since 2020.

With quarterback Cam Newton, Meyers was one of the lone bright spots for the Patriots offense. That season, he led the team with 729 receiving yards. The 2019 undrafted free agent then led the Patriots in 2021 with 83 receptions and 866 yards to go with two touchdowns.

Since coming to New England, Meyers developed into one of the best homegrown receivers in the Bill Belichick era. His 2,758 yards through his first four seasons passed Deion Branch (2,744 yards) for the most by a homegrown receiver since Belichick was hired.

When it comes to the Patriots quarterback situation, Meyers was more important than any pass catcher in New England over the past three seasons. As the team’s slot receiver, he was Jones’ security blanket for the past two seasons.

Last season, Meyers led all Patriots with 22 receptions for 330 yards on third downs. Meyers finished tied for 16th in the NFL in third-down receptions. That’s one of the most important areas on the field for an offense. That’s usually the case for slot receivers in New England. Last year, Meyers lined up in the slot around 60% of the time with 414 snaps inside compared to 264 out wide. No other receiver hit over 30% in New England.

The Patriots are attempting to rebrand their offense by bringing in new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. However, that job just got a little bit more difficult without Meyers – at least for now.

The Patriots understand the importance of the slot receiver position. That’s why they need to prioritize their receiver position moving forward. Currently, the Patriots have DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton at the top of their depth charter. However, none of those players are true slot receivers.

The Patriots could turn to free agency to replace Meyers. One option is Parris Campbell. Last year, he logged 756 snaps in the slot. Other options include Richie James (488 snaps in the slot), JuJu Smith-Schuster (342 snaps in the slot) and Olamide Zaccheaus (394 snaps in the slot).

The Patriots could also look to trade for a slot receiver. One option could be Hunter Renfrow of the Raiders. Considering Las Vegas just added Meyers, perhaps Renfrow is available.

The team could also work to sign or trade for a talented outside receiver. Names there include Odell Beckham, DeAndre Hopkins, Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy. Out of those four, Jeudy has more experience in the slot.

The Patriots could also look to replace Meyers in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The say the NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Patriots will make moves, but right now, with Meyers gone, the offense needs more help – especially if the Patriots want to keep up with the leading teams in the AFC and get back to the playoffs.

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