The Las Vegas Raiders added another weapon to their offense in free agency, adding former New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on a three-year contract. Originally an undrafted free agent back in 2019, Meyers has developed into a very good receiver and was the Patriots top pass catcher last season.
Additionally, Meyers is also very familiar with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels’ offensive system as McDaniels of course was the Patriots offensive coordinator prior to taking over the Raiders job. And that was among the reasons Meyers elected to join the Raiders.
According to Josina Anderson of ESPN, Meyers opened up about exactly why he chose to come to Las Vegas, noting the coaches and the offense as a whole as to why he couldn’t turn them down:
Just finished speaking with WR Jakobi Meyers on his decision to join the #Raiders: pic.twitter.com/QrIa68yxCS
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 14, 2023
The Raiders offense has a chance to be one of the best in the NFL without a doubt. New quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is at the helm with a number of talented skill position players at his disposal led by a pair of First-Team All-Pros in wide receiver DaVante Adams and running back Josh Jacobs. With Meyers and Hunter Renfrow there as well there is no shortage of playmakers on the roster.
As an undrafted player, Meyers will surely always hold a special place for the Patriots as they gave him his opportunity and helped him develop into the player he is now. But the good thing about joining the Raiders is that there is a bit of familiarity there as well thanks to McDaniels and that system.
There is plenty of work to be done now so that this Raiders offense reaches its potential and becomes one of the best in the league and Meyers stands to be a big part of that.
Raiders agree to deal TE Darren Waller to New York Giants
After adding Meyers the Raiders had a number of high-priced pass catchers and the team ultimately chose to move on from one of them. That player turned out to be tight end Darren Waller whom the Raiders agreed to trade to the New York Giants for a third-round pick.
While extremely talented, Waller has struggled with injuries the past couple of seasons and struggled to remain on the field. Nonetheless, he remains one of the most talented players at his position.
