Throughout Bill Belichick's tenure in New England, there were several players that the head coach decided to trade or not re-sign that Patriots fans will never forget, and in some cases, forgive him for, and one of the more underrated names on that list would be wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
The undrafted pass catcher quickly climbed the depth chart from the time he was drafted to when he inevitably signed a hefty contract with the Raiders in 2023. It was a reunion with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas, and during his two and a half seasons in the AFC West, Meyers became a household name.
It ultimately led to him competing for the WR1 position with his new team, recording 191 receptions for 2,186 yards and 12 touchdowns in 38 games with the Raiders. And because of his growing superstardom, he was eventually traded to the Jaguars, and recently signed a massive extension to keep him around for Trevor Lawrence to work with.
Going into the 2026 season, the Patriots are much better equipped offensively than they were when Meyers was pushed aside for JuJu Smith-Schuster, so there's reason to believe that the former top target in Foxboro isn't as missed as he once was.
However, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently named him one of the most underrated receivers ahead of the upcoming season, and it's a harsh reminder of just how bad it was for Belichick to let Meyers walk three years ago.
Jakobi Meyers continues to prove the Patriots made a big mistake not re-signing him
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Knox ranked some of the most underrated and overlooked receivers across the league, including Romeo Doubs, and Meyers was among them, too.
Considering he has consistently been disregarded since he rose to relevance with the Patriots, it's hard to disagree that he's still being overlooked going into his first full season with the Jaguars, despite already performing like a superstar for his newest team.
He is expected to take over the WR1 role that Brian Thomas Jr. was supposed to hold since he was drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, but he has since slid down the depth chart and has been a part of several trade discussions this offseason. With his future still unclear, Meyers is projected to become Lawrence's favorite weapon, another tough reminder for the Patriots.
It was an instantly regrettable move by Belichick, who didn't seem to realize it until it was too late, as Smith-Schuster went on to be an absolute bust in the one season he spent in New England.
He signed a similar contract to the one Meyers received from the Raiders, which made Belichick's decision even worse, and now the Jaguar is set to take on the biggest role of his career with the reigning AFC South Champions.
The Patriots will get another first-hand look at how that's going when they play Jacksonville in the first month of the season, and although Belichick is no longer with the team, it will be another hit to the gut of the franchise for giving up on a player who could've become a pillar of Drake Maye's receiving corps.
They're fortunate to finally be in a situation where missing Meyers isn't as relevant as it once was, since they now have A.J. Brown leading the roster. But it was only a year ago that they were still feeling the impact of his absence, making it even harder to swallow when they saw him become a star elsewhere.
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