Patriots Rumors: Predicting a long-term contract for Jakobi Meyers

Over the last few seasons, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers has emerged as an asset for the New England Patriots, and one the team would be foolish to let go.

Looking at the wide receiver depth chart, it’s hard to argue Meyers isn’t the most reliable and consistent target the Patriots have in the receiving game. Kendrick Bourne has been a nice addition and Hunter Henry has been a touchdown machine at tight end, but Meyers has been the safest definition of a security blanket due to his ability to catch passes outside the numbers and in the slot.

During Cam Newton’s terrible showing in 2020, Meyers still managed 59 receptions for 729 yards, which was good for 12.4 yards per catch. In Mac Jones’ first season under center, Meyers logged career highs of 126 targets, 83 receptions, 866 yards, two touchdowns and 42 first downs.

There are still a lot of unknowns on this Patriots offense, too. What will Nelson Agholor do in 2022? Jonnu Smith? How effective will newcomer DeVante Parker be?

It’s all worth asking, especially with Meyers making it known he wants to remain in New England for the long haul. This guy wants to stay in the cold and remain a fixture on a run-first offense? Get him to sign the dotted line immediately!

What would a long-term contract look like for Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers?

Admittedly, the Patriots have some more money to spend now since Hunter Renfrow just signed an extension with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was expected to be among the top names in free agency after the 2022 season and a seemingly perfect fit for New England.

Now? Uh … it’s slim pickings between Sterling Shepard (no thanks), Marvin Jones, DJ Chark, Randall Cobb, Jarvis Landry, AJ Green, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and other unimpressive names or guys past their prime.

Bill Belichick and the front office would be wise to sort out Meyers’ contract issue as he has one final season left before he’s an unrestricted free agent. So what’re we looking at?

It’s probably best to compare Meyers to guys like Robby Anderson, Corey Davis and Curtis Samuel, all of whom signed deals somewhat recently in the $29 million-$35 million range. There’s just one 1,000-yard season between the three of those veterans and the overall production is right in line with Meyers’ three NFL campaigns.

How about a four-year, $40 million extension? That pays Meyers $10 million per year, putting him in the AAV range with Tyler Boyd, Marquez Valdez-Scantling and DeVante Parker, which seems totally fair based on his output up until this point.

With just three seasons and 1,954 yards under his belt, Meyers would be hard-pressed to find a much better deal than that without a massive breakout in 2022, which likely won’t be the case given how the Patriots offense is currently constructed (run-first and a ton of targets in the receiving game).

It feels like a win-win, and the Pats would be able to afford it with fellow wideouts Agholor and N’Keal Harry officially off the books in 2023.

Jakobi Meyers revealing why he signed with Patriots is kind of a shot at N’Keal Harry

On Kyle Van Noy's "Elite Eatz" YouTube show, Jakobi Meyers said that he signed with the New England Patriots to compete with N'Keal Harry.