Former Patriots star prefers Jakobi Meyers over JuJu Smith-Schuster

Recently retired safety Devin McCourty believes his New England Patriots made a mistake essentially choosing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers. 

"I’m not going to lie, I would have liked to see Jakobi back over JuJu," McCourty said during an appearance on the "Green Light Podcast with Chris Long," as shared by Zack Cox of NESN. "Just my personal feeling. I just think Jakobi is a guy, he’s an undrafted free agent who pans out because of hard work." 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Eric Edholm), Meyers left the Patriots to join the Las Vegas Raiders via a three-year, $33M contract that includes $21M guaranteed. Rapoport and NFL Network's Taylor Bisciotti (h/t Kevin Patra) then reported on March 15 that Smith-Schuster agreed to a three-year, $33M deal to sign with the Patriots. That contract includes $16M in guaranteed money.

While Smith-Schuster recorded 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season, Meyers went for 67 catches for 804 yards and six scores in the New England offense. 

McCourty suggested that Meyers, who has thus far played only for the Patriots during his career that began in 2019, could've offered veteran leadership for a New England team filled with targets that came from other clubs. 

Specifically, McCourty named Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker as current New England receivers who began their careers elsewhere. 

"I thought Jakobi would have been a great fit for younger guys that you bring in there to say, 'All right, this is how I become a good football player. This guy wasn’t rated high and look at him now. He’s the best receiver on our team,'" McCourty continued. "I don’t know JuJu personally, but they’re going to need that leadership. From the outside looking in, you wouldn’t guess that they’re going to get that over there. But again, I don’t know him, so you could be blown away." 

McCourty originally entered the NFL when New England made him a first-round draft pick back in 2010, and he featured only for that franchise during his 13 pro seasons. Thus, he knows plenty about following the so-called "Patriot Way," and it sounds like he is challenging Smith-Schuster to quickly embrace all that it means to be part of the organization led by long-time head coach Bill Belichick.