National Football League

Why did Patriots replace Jakobi Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster?

Updated Mar. 16, 2023 9:31 p.m. ET

Jakobi Meyers is out in New England. And JuJu Smith-Schuster is a Patriot.

The two moves happened within 30 hours of one another. And clearly, when Meyers decided to leave for the Las Vegas Raiders, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots had some urgency to lock up Smith-Schuster, the only other top wideout on the market.

It's a bold decision for New England and Belichick, given their history of struggling to bring in wideouts. The Patriots passed on a known entity in Meyers (who led their team in receiving yards the past two years) in order to acquire a player with potential and upside.

Those are dangerous words in New England, especially when talking about receivers. Belichick has struggled to capitalize on potential and upside. But that's the widely held belief about Smith-Schuster — that he has more pure talent than a guy like Meyers. And that's because, from a production standpoint, Smith-Schuster has done more.

They're similar players: big slot receivers who have the versatility to play outside and inside. Smith-Schuster is 26 years old. He's 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds. He ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine. Meyers is also 26. He's 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He ran a 4.63 40 during his pre-draft process in 2019.

My bet is that, if you asked Belichick candidly what Smith-Schuster can do for the Patriots, he'd say that JSS can do all of what Meyers does — and, potentially, more.

Patriots sign JuJu Smith-Schuster to three-year deal

The Patriots landed JuJu Smith-Schuster to replace Jakobi Meyers, who signed with the Raiders. Colin Cowherd argues this move shows that New England is behind the times.

While we're comparing JSS and Meyers, it's worth looking at the two contracts they signed. Nominally, these deals look identical, with Meyers set to make $33 million over three years and Smith-Schuster set to sign a contract with … those same terms. But looking closer, Meyers has just his first year guaranteed. In essence, he signed a one-year, $11-million deal. Smith-Schuster, meanwhile, is looking at realistically making $18 million in his first two years. It's not apples to apples. New England is making a smaller annual commitment — but a slightly longer-term one.

But New England is clearly not paying JSS like a WR1.

We have yet to see Smith-Schuster succeed as the top option in an offense. The Steelers asked JuJu to take over the WR1 mantle in 2019, and he had one of his worst seasons: 42 catches, 552 yards, three touchdowns.

Smith-Schuster had an enormous year in 2018, logging 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns — but JSS posted those numbers as the team's WR2 behind Antonio Brown, who was at the high point of his career. As the Chiefs' No. 2 option (behind Travis Kelce) in 2022, Smith-Schuster posted 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns on the way to winning a Super Bowl.

It might be a tough projection for the Patriots to expect they can create that same production level. Smith-Schuster, after all, was in an offense with Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. In 2023, he is currently slated to work with Mac Jones, Hunter Henry and Bill O'Brien.

So why replace Meyers, a perfectly good WR2, with Smith-Schuster, another WR2? Why take away Jones' favorite target from the past two seasons?

It is not surprising for Belichick to develop an undrafted player into a top-tier free agent — and let that guy go, like the Patriots have done with Meyers. And it's not even a surprise to see New England attack the free-agent market at the same position. We saw Belichick sign cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the kind of deal Malcolm Butler wanted in 2017 — while Butler eventually moved on to the Tennessee Titans. (And that decision worked tremendously for the Patriots.) But Belichick has a history of bringing in cornerbacks and helping them make an instant impact. He does not have the same history with receivers, a position at which New England has struggled enormously to maximize its acquisitions.

The Patriots surely like Henry, who had success in their offense in 2021. New England might also think it can get more out of receivers Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker and 2022 second-rounder Tyquan Thornton. But none of them — JSS included — figures to be a top-tier option.

Maybe New England isn't done adding pass-catchers. Maybe Belichick will target an elite option. The offseason is just getting started, and the Patriots have engaged in trade conversations regarding receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Jerry Jeudy, per The Athletic. Tight end Dalton Schultz is also a free agent and has the potential to be an elite TE1. Certainly, another addition would help Smith-Schuster excel in his new situation.

But by swapping out Smith-Schuster and Meyers, the Patriots are betting they can bring in a new player and get more out of him. New England is betting on O'Brien to bring Smith-Schuster up to speed on the offense. And, maybe, Jones can help the Patriots bring out the 2018 version of Smith-Schuster — or, at the very least, Jones can help JSS continue the steady output he managed in Kansas City last season.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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