One of the biggest acquisitions by the Las Vegas Raiders last season was the signing of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. The veteran wide receiver was a free agent after leading the New England Patriots in receiving for three consecutive seasons.
Meyers says his experiences in New England and Las Vegas were completely different.
"It was different experiences," Meyers said. "Who I was at that point in my career, I probably didn't get as much respect as I would out here. It's different. I'm a different person here [in Las Vegas]."
"There, I really had to prove who I was every day. Every single day, I had to be better. Not just the same but better. Here, I want to be better. So, it's different."
Meyers and the Patriots couldn't come to a contract agreement, leading to Meyers' eventual landing in Las Vegas. New England wasn't far off from Meyers' asking price.
In the end, this may have made things worse for Meyers, who felt more respected by the Raiders' offer than the Patriots' offer.
"A million. They wouldn't move. I wouldn't have minded staying. I don't know, honestly. It was definitely a sting when I left, but I understand the business side."
Meyers says he felt more respected by the Raiders on and off the field.
"Yeah, not just to call people out or throw anybody under the bus, but I was more of a focus here than I was there. Whereas there, I was more so doing what I had to do to survive and feed my family.
"They just wouldn't budge. I mean, at the end of the day, he [Bill Belichick] didn't want to move," Meyers said. "I respect it. It's his job to do what's best for his team or what he thinks is best for the team. It just didn't align with what I felt like I was worth."
After having arguably the second-best season of his career, the Patriots finishing near the bottom of the league, and Belichick's departure from New England, Meyers says he feels vindicated.
"I do [feel vindicated]. As far as those lines, I do," Meyers said. "I feel like now, you can see: if y'all [the Patriots] had just freed me a little bit and let me go out there and do other things or make plays or tried to really gear it towards me, it would have really paid off."
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