The Patriots' receiving corps has been a topic of discussion long before Tom Brady chose to leave the team in 2020. It had been consistently debated whether Bill Belichick was giving his quarterbacks enough firepower offensively to be successful, which was a particular argument in the post-Brady era.
That was a concern during Drake Maye's rookie season last year, and it is what appeared to lead to several issues throughout the year. Although GM Eliot Wolf attempted to make things right by making a trade offer for Brandon Aiyuk, nothing came to fruition, and Maye was forced to work with what he had, which was far below what was needed so early in his career.
Fortunately, that shouldn't be the case this season, with the additions of Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency, along with rookie Kyle Williams. Yet, at the same time, there is always room for another boost if the right player becomes available, which is why Patriots fans were intrigued when Jakobi Meyers requested a trade from the Raiders.
The undrafted receiver spent the start of his career in New England and became a fan favorite, only for Bill Belichick to choose to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster instead of re-signing Meyers in 2023. He has since gone on to become a household name for the Raiders, and could return to Foxboro for the right deal, but that looks like a slim chance now.
It doesn't look like Jakobi Meyers will be traded from the Raiders any time soon
After suffering an embarrassing loss in Week 1 on Sunday, the Patriots then seemed to get the hint that Meyers won't be getting traded anytime soon. That seemed obvious, seeing how he played against their defense, only for his response about playing for the Raiders after the game to make it crystal clear.
“I just like being on the field with my guys, man. That’s really my happy place.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 7, 2025
My @nflnetwork 1-on-1 with #Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers, who hasn’t gotten the contract or trade he wants, but played a key role in beating his old team today. pic.twitter.com/m9wkWJ8xRF
While this doesn't necessarily mean the Raiders won't trade him or that Meyers has completely changed his mind about wanting out of Las Vegas, he doesn't seem to be as unhappy with the team as one might think for a player to be demanding a trade.
There's plenty of time for the team to offer him an extension to end any potential drama that could come up during the season, and there is time for them to change their mind about making him available via trade.
Whether the Patriots would be interested or not is difficult to say. Meyers thrived in Josh McDaniels' offense, and he was the reason he signed with the Raiders in 2023, as McDaniels was the head coach at the time. So there's certainly a connection there that cannot be ignored.
However, it's questionable if the Patriots would feel that he would be the right guy to add to their receiving corps after just one game, and we need to see more from who they have on the roster right now before deciding they need to add more help.