Bill Belichick forms brutal opinion on £20million signing after just six months
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jakobi Meyers were at the heart of a wide receiver debate for the New England Patriots in the offseason, and it appears Bill Belichick believes he made the wrong choice.
Meyers was a dependable performer for the Pats after joining as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but Belichick and his staff decided to go in a different direction when his contract expired at the end of last season. Instead of meeting Meyers' demands after back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons and six touchdowns in 2022, the Pats allowed him to leave in March and join the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $33m (£26.6m) contract which is heavily backloaded.
On broadly similar terms of $25.5m (£20.6m) over three years, the Patriots opted to sign former Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers playmaker Smith-Schuster a day later to become a leading receiver in Bill O'Brien's offense. Smith-Schuster was coming off a Super Bowl triumph with the Chiefs, with 933 receiving yards in the regular season as he became one of Patrick Mahomes' preferred targets.
However, the Pats fear they do not have the same player in their midst just a few months on. Smith-Schuster underwent knee surgery in the offseason, but issues continue to linger for the 26-year-old. NFL insider Albert Breer last week reported the wideout's knee could "explode at any point".
And the former Pro Bowler's standing in the offense for Sunday's narrow defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles was telling. With the Patriots chasing the game in the fourth quarter, Smith-Schuster was held on the sidelines with veteran Kendrick Bourne and rookies Keyshon Boutte and Demario Douglas preferred in the three-receiver sets.
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“We just did what we thought was best to be able to move the ball and score points,” receivers coach Ross Douglas said in an ominous press conference for Smith-Schuster. Belichick insisted an injury was not the reason for Smith-Schuster not playing in the clutch moments on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. He said: “You know what the injury report was, with the injuries during the game and all that So that’s the best I can tell you."
Former Patriots star Jakobi Meyers made an impressive debut for the Raiders. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)Instead, the Boston Herald reports multiple team sources have indicated Smith-Schuster has tumbled down the depth chart and he is "not presently among the team's five most effective pass-catchers". Smith-Schuster caught four passes for 33 yards in the 25-20 loss to the Eagles in Foxborough.
Meyers, meanwhile, enjoyed an excellent debut with his new team on Sunday. The 26-year-old hauled in nine receptions for 81 yards and two crucial touchdowns in a narrow victory on the road at the Denver Broncos.
Meyers is in concussion protocol and is a doubt for Sunday's road game at the Buffalo Bills, but the early signs are the Patriots made the wrong call in letting him go. Instead, the Pats have been left with another problem to solve with concerns about Smith-Schuster's play and durability.
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