Jakobi Meyers reportedly requested a trade from the Raiders this week due to a contract dispute, and many Patriots fans believe New England should call Las Vegas.
Maybe that will happen, maybe it won’t. However, based on reporting from NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry, there’s reason to believe the Patriots would be interested in trading for Meyers.
“The Patriots were interested in Jakobi Meyers this offseason,” Perry said during Tuesday’s episode of 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show.
Perry, echoing NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, added that the Raiders weren’t interested in trading Meyers during the offseason and seemingly remain unwilling to deal the veteran receiver. He also suggested that New England, if it were serious about acquiring Meyers, would need to decide whether to roster him or Stefon Diggs, as both players possess inside-outside versatility that would create roster redundancy.
Nevertheless, pursuing a Meyers trade would make all the sense in the world. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Meyers averaged 69.7 receptions and 799.7 yards per season from 2020 through 2022 while playing for the Patriots.
The North Carolina State product left New England after the 2022 campaign to sign a three-year deal with the Raiders, who, at the time, were coached by Josh McDaniels, who was Meyers’ offensive coordinator for three seasons in New England.
With McDaniels now back with the Patriots, it stands to reason he’d remain interested in coaching a player who posted career highs in catches (87) and yards (1,027) last season.
Still, Meyers, who’s due $3.9 million (non-guaranteed) in 2025 and set to hit free agency next offseason, likely would carry his contract request to his next destination. Whether head coach Mike Vrabel and New England’s new-look front office would be interested in giving Meyers a new deal remains anyone’s guess.