One of the New England Patriots' many miscues in 2023 was picking JuJu Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers in free agency.
Smith-Schuster took Meyers' spot on the Patriots' wide receiver depth chart after signing a three-year, $25.5 million contract ($16 million guaranteed). Earlier that week, Meyers joined the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year deal worth $33 million ($21 million guaranteed).
Meyers was well worth the extra cash for Las Vegas. The 27-year-old tallied 71 catches for 807 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games -- the same number of TDs he scored in four seasons with New England.
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Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster was virtually a non-factor for the Patriots. He caught 29 passes for 260 yards and just one touchdown in 11 games.
Meyers joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger & Mazz on Monday and opened up about leaving the Pats for the Raiders. Host Michael Felger asked Meyers if he feels vindicated after excelling during a season in which New England could've used his services.
"I do," Meyers answered. "As far as those lines, yeah, I do. I feel like now you can see, like, if y'all just freed me a little bit and let me kind of go out there and do other things or make plays and try to really gear towards me, it would have paid off."
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The Patriots signed Meyers as an undrafted free agent out of NC State in 2019. He carved out an important role in New England's offense and showed off a strong rapport with quarterback Mac Jones in 2021 and 2022.
After one year in Vegas, though, Meyers feels at home. He told Felger & Mazz that he's enjoying his time with the Raiders more than his Patriots tenure.
"It was different experiences," Meyers said. "Who I was at that point in my career, I probably didn't get as much respect as I would out here. So, I ain't gonna lie, I do (enjoy the Raiders experience more). Honestly, it's different. It's different. I'm a different person here, so I appreciate that different person. ...
"As far as the respect thing: There, I really had to prove who I was every day," Meyers added. "Like, every single day I had to be better. Not just the same, but better. Here, I want to be better every single day. So it's different."
Meyers added that he believes the Raiders utilized him better in their offense than the Patriots did.
"Yeah. I mean, not just to call people out, throw anybody under the bus, but I was more of a focus here than I was there," he said. "Whereas there, I was more so doing what I had to do to survive and feed my family."
Despite that, the Patriots still had a strong chance to re-sign Meyers last spring. But when the two sides sat down at the negotiation table, former Pats head coach/general manager Bill Belichick wouldn't up his offer.
"They just wouldn't budge," Meyers said. "At the end of the day, he (Belichick) didn't want to move. And I respect it. Like, it's his job to do what's best for his team or what he thinks is best for the team. It just didn't align with what I felt like I was worth.
Asked how close the Patriots' offer was, Meyers said they were $1 million off. Would he have stayed if New England upped its offer by $1 million?
"I wouldn't have minded staying. I don't know, honestly. I don't," he answered. "It would have been a different conversation. I probably would have thought about it a little different.
"But I did enjoy Boston. Like, it was great. The guys that was there, those are really like family members to me, man. The receiver room, TB (Troy Brown), I still talk to Troy all the time. Like, that's my guy, man. So it was definitely a sting when I left, but I understand the business side."
The wide receiver position remains a glaring need for the Patriots heading into the 2024 season. Fortunately for them, they'll have a chance to add weapons to the offense via free agency and the NFL Draft, in which they have the No. 3 overall pick.
Watch the full interview with Jakobi Meyers below or on YouTube.