Jakobi Meyers is hitting the ground running at Raiders OTAs, and Davante Adams has gone in on the Patriots for wasting the talents of his new teammate.
It went on so long, it was almost funny. Jakobi Meyers did not catch his first NFL touchdown until solidly into his third season (2021, Week 10). His scoring fortunes corrected a bit last year, with six touchdowns over 14 games in what would be his last season with the New England Patriots.
With a tie to head coach Josh McDaniels, the former Patriots' offensive coordinator of course, Meyers got a pretty healthy free agent contract from the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason (three years, $33 million). There he'll line up opposite Davante Adams, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and last year's league leader in receiving touchdowns (14).
The Patriots have long struggled to find consistent production from the wide receiver position. Meyers topped 700 yards in each of the last three seasons, with catch totals of 59, 83 and 67 in those seasons. Yet, they let him go.
Davante Adams suggests the Patriots wasted Jakobi Meyers' talent
After the Raiders' first OTA practice that was open to the media, via Case Keefer of The Las Vegas Sun, Adams called out the Patriots for wasting Meyers' talents.
I didn't see him featured as much as maybe he should have been based on what I saw when [the Patriots] came here and we practiced against them [last summer], and so far what I've seen from him now. He's a pro. He's got a lot of tools on the field, and the way he thinks about the game as a relatively young player is impressive to me, so I'm excited to work alongside him."
Meyers went from an undrafted free agent in 2019 to a key cog for the Patriots over the last three seasons. He looks like a perfect complement to Adams with the Raiders, and a perfect fit with the not-so aggressive style of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (assuming Garoppolo is healthy enough to play) as a short-area target maven.
