What was truly the beginning of the end for Bill Belichick was when the head coach decided to let Jakobi Meyers walk in free agency, instead opting to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster.
And so when given the chance to finally speak publiclly about what happened, Meyers explained how hurt he was. On 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mass Show on Monday, Meyers had a blunt admission about what really happened when he decided to go to the Las Vegas Raiders prior to the 2023 season.
And as we all know, it came down to the money that Belichick and the Patriots offered him.
“They just wouldn’t budge. At the end of the day, (Bill Belichick) didn’t want to move,” Meyers said. “And I respected it. Like it is his job to do what’s best for his team or what he thinks is best for the team. It just didn’t align on what I felt like I was worth.”
Meyers specified that the Patriots were “a million” shy of the $33 million contract he signed with the Raiders.
“They wouldn’t move,” Meyers added. “I wouldn’t have minded staying. It would’ve been a different conversation. I probably would’ve thought about it a little differently. I did enjoy Boston."
"It was definitely a sting when I left, but I understand the business side.”
However, with the Raiders, he has excelled.
The receiver finished with 71 receptions for 807 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season in Las Vegas. And when he got to experience the atmosphere there, things got very interesting.
“It was a different experience. Who I was at that point in my career, I probably didn’t get as much respect as I would out here (in Las Vegas),” Meyers said and ever added that he enjoys it more there. “I’m not going to lie. It’s different… There I had to prove who I was every day, every single day I had to be better. Here, I want to be better every single day, it’s different.”
“Not to call people out or throw people under the bus, but I was more of a focus here than I was there," he added. "Where there, I was doing more of what I had to do to survive and feed my family.”
And it doesn't help that the Patriots went on to sign Smith-Schuster to the same contract in New England for a three year deal.
“Juju, at the end of the day, he’s a man and I respect him. It had nothing to do with him,” Meyers said. “I think he’s a good player. I just think football caught up with him. I don’t know what his situation is, but it’s tough.”
So one thing is clear: he is as motivated as ever to continue showing New England that they made the wrong choice.
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