Restricted Free Agent Jakobi Meyers Hopes To Keep Growing With New England Patriots

Jakobi Meyers has led the New England Patriots in targets, receptions and receiving yards in back-to-back campaigns.

Now set to become a restricted free agent, the wide receiver hopes to continue that growth with the organization as the calendar turns to 2022.

“Definitely, honestly. I enjoy being here,” Meyers, 25, told reporters during his video conference on Monday. “I enjoy my teammates. But at the end of the day, all I can do is control what I can control. I feel like I did that to the best of my ability this season, just trying to go out there and play hard, play tough. The rest of that is in somebody else’s hands, so it’s nothing I can really stress about right now. I’m just excited for whatever opportunity comes my way, and I’m going to attack it head-on.”

Meyers earned an $850,000 base salary in the final year of his rookie contract, which began with a $10,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent back in May 2019. He earned it while playing 84.1% of the offensive snaps.

Only right guard Shaq Mason, center David Andrews and rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who quickly found a go-to option in the slot, played more for New England.

“I feel like we’re way ahead of where we were when the season first started,” Meyers said of his development alongside Jones. “All of the questions of who the guy was going to be, us coming in to where we are now. But I feel like it could be very promising, honestly, looking forward. I feel like he gave me a lot of opportunities to make plays that I left out there on the field. If I can just work this offseason and make those plays, make those tough plays and capitalize on all the chances he gave me, hopefully we’ll take a step in the right direction.”

Many steps have been taken by the former the two-star quarterback recruit out of Georgia’s Arabia Mountain High School. Meyers had set the single-season North Carolina State receptions record as a redshirt junior before not being among the 28 wideouts selected in his draft class.

He’s since played in 46 NFL games and started 16 during his latest regular season.

It saw Meyers turn 126 targets into a career-high 83 catches for 866 yards on a depth chart featuring veterans Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, who arrived on three-year, $15 million and two-year, $22 million contracts, respectively. Along the way came his initial two receiving touchdowns after throwing a pair in 2020.

“Honestly, I feel like I’ve just gotten better as a player, a person, all of it,” Meyers said of his Patriots tenure. “I think about my first day in the league, just where I was mentally, I just wasn’t who I am today. I just feel like I’m a much better player, much better man. And when you got a situation like that, it’s something you want to hold on to.”

Fullback Jakob Johnson and return specialist Gunner Olszewski are also impending restricted free agents for New England.

In 2021, the NFL’s restricted tenders were set at $4.766 million for the first round, $3.384 million for the second round, $2.183 million for the original round and $2.133 million for the right of first refusal.