Report disputes Bill Belichick’s comments on notable free agent departure

Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick is having the worst stretch of his head coaching career with the New England Patriots, and he may not have helped himself with some comments he made this week.

Belichick said this week that the Patriots had made a real effort to retain wide receiver Jakobi Meyers when he became a free agent last offseason, and felt that the two sides had been “relatively” close to an agreement. Meyers wound up signing with the Las Vegas Raiders instead, where he has enjoyed something of a renaissance.

A report from Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, however, questioned Belichick’s version of the narrative. The report stated that the Patriots were not even runners up for Meyers despite having ample cap room, and that Meyers openly told teammates and staffers just prior to his departure that the Patriots “don’t want me.” He wound up signing with the Raiders for three years and $33 million, the same contract the Patriots signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to just days later.

To say that trade-off has not worked out for the Patriots would be an understatement. Meyers has 274 receiving yards and three touchdowns in four games for the Raiders despite missing a game due to a concussion. Smith-Schuster, in contrast, is barely seeing the field for the Patriots amid reports that his knee is in terrible shape.

Perhaps Belichick was trying to save face by saying Meyers just chose to go elsewhere. The reports seem to indicate a very different story.