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Former New England Patriots receiver, Jakobi Meyers, catching a pass against the Miami Dolphins. January 1, 2023.

Despite having significant depth, the baseline starting quality of the New England Patriots‘ receiving corps is questionable to say the least.

Beyond Stefon Diggs – who himself will turn 32 in November, and is coming off an ACL tear suffered last fall – the team has little in terms of players who have shown themselves to be capable of holding up a receiving corps.

Indeed after Diggs, no Patriots receiver on the roster has ever managed even 700 yards in a single season.

Third year pros, DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have vastly outperformed their sixth round draft status over the course of their four combined seasons in the NFL, but neither has proven to be a reliable first or second option for a Patriots’ offense that wants to go toe-to-toe with the division’s best in reigning 5 x AFC East champions, the Buffalo Bills.

So it stands to reason that the Patriots would be incentivized to add another pass-catching weapon to help accelerate the growth of franchise quarterback, Drake Maye, as he enters an important second year in the league.

Consequently, this trade proposal has the Patriots make a play for Jakobi Meyers, who played for New England during all four of his rookie years from 2019 – 2022, before being signed by former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Josh McDaniels – who is, coincidentally, currently the Pats’ offensive coordinator, .

Trade Proposal Reunites Josh McDaniels With Former Receiver

McDaniels’ previous two spells as OC in New England were about as successful as his head coaching stints weren’t, winning six Super Bowls – all of which were under legendary former NE head coach, Bill Belichick.

And after he left for the second time back in 2022, McDaniels made an effort to secure his former receiver ahead of his second year in charge, signing Meyers to what has turned out to be a bargain three year, $33 million deal in 2023 free agency.

Meyers has been the model of consistency over the course of his time in the league, managing between 800 and 900 receiving yards in three consecutive years between 2021-2023.

Yet in the wake of Davante Adams‘ midseason departure in 2024, the former undrafted free agent stepped up his game and managed to break the 1000-yard plane for the first time in his career, amassing 1,027 yards and 4 touchdowns, even in the wake of the historic season being put on display by now All-Pro tight end, Brock Bowers.

Meyers adds a very high floor, and moderately high ceiling receiver to New England’s arsenal. And with a cap hit of less than $15 million, he is more than affordable for the cap-rich Patriots, who still have the most amount of remaining cap space in 2025 at around $61 million.

What Would The Patriots Have To Do To Bring Meyers To New England?

It is not clear and obvious that the team would be desirous of parting with their best perimeter outside receiver. However, for another rebuilding team – albeit one with a less optimistic outlook than the Patriots in 2025 – that has multiple needs on both offense and defense, it would not necessary be a bad move for Las Vegas to get a return on a player who will turn 29 in November.

Meyers is entering a contract year, and if his 2025 is anything like his 2024, he will want a substantial pay bump for 2026. A pay rise that the Raiders may not want to give to an ageing player at a receiver position that has continually seen excellent returns on mid-to-high draft picks over the past half decade.