The offseason has begun for more than half the teams in the NFL, which means plenty of significant changes have already been announced across the board. The Patriots were one of the first by announcing they had fired Jerod Mayo after their Week 18 win over the Bills, and a handful of other teams followed suit not long after.
The latest of which was the Las Vegas Raiders, who decided to fire their head coach (Antonio Pierce) and their general manager (Tom Telesco), opening two more big openings to the coaching/GM carousel of the 2025 offseason, which might be bad news for the Patriots.
But there is a big positive that comes from the Raiders' latest moves, and that is the potential availability for New England to trade for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, the player that Bill Belichick should have never let walk in free agency in 2023.
The Patriots might have the chance to bring back one of their best players in 2025
Although he is not a highly coveted player for most teams, Meyers worked his way to the top of the depth chart and became Mac Jones's favorite and most reliable target. He had easily earned a new contract to keep him tied to Foxboro, only for Belichick to choose to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster instead.
We know how much of a disaster that was, as Meyers went on to record 158 receptions for 1,834 yards and 12 touchdowns in the two years with the Raiders, while Smith-Schuster totaled just 29 receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown before the Patriots released him during roster cuts last summer.
Because they still need to improve their receiving corps, there's a chance they could right a former wrong and inquire about trading for Meyers this offseason. With new management, including Tom Brady as a minority owner, it's possible the Patriots could get a deal done.
Of course, it will all depend on who calls the shots with the new head coach. However, they will have a lot of cap space to use, and bringing in a trusted veteran like Meyers wouldn't be such a bad idea. He has one year left on his contract so they could extend him, and he would immediately push their offense in the right direction.
Meyers has proven he can work with any quarterback, which is crucial with Drake Maye being a priority for whatever new regime comes in. Adding more experience to their wide receiver room is also a must, so his return makes a lot of sense.