3 biggest mistakes from the NFL offseason
By Kinnu Singh
Across the NFL landscape, there are several teams who may have erred in judgment when making key decisions for the upcoming 2023 season.
Despite its reputation for being a “slow” time of the year, the offseason is when NFL franchises hustle to ensure that the upcoming season ends with a silver lining (and trophy). It’s when teams make crucial decisions about which players to draft, which players to keep, and which players are more valuable as traded assets.
General managers who make savvy decisions, like Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, earn consistent praise for moves that will pay dividends in the seasons to come. Faithful New England Patriots fans have learned to ultimately trust Bill Belichick after more than two decades, yet his puzzling decisions warrant discussion all summer long.
Whether their decisions are conservative or bold, general managers across the league inevitably make mistakes in the offseason. This year will be no different, and while only the future will bring clarity on these matters, here are at least three decisions that will likely be regretted come September.
Biggest NFL offseason mistakes: 3. Patriots let go of Jakobi Meyers, then signed JuJu Smith Schuster
No one can quite replace Julian Edelman, but the slot receiver role existed before and exists after his retirement. Once Edelman hung up his cleats after the 2020 season, it opened up an opportunity for Jakobi Meyers. According to SI’s Patriots Country, Meyers boasts 235 career receptions, which ranks third among all non-drafted players in the NFL since 2019. For the past two years, Meyers provided the consistency that the new-look Patriots needed — yes, even though he made that play.
Ultimately, the Patriots let Meyers fall to the free agency market, after which they signed veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. With reporters still lamenting that Bill Belichick refuses to spend on his offense, it’s clear that Smith-Schuster no longer commands the star power he once did as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
While Smith-Schuster is a Super Bowl champion, he demonstrated little during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs that makes him a suitable replacement for Meyers.
Meyers went on to rejoin Josh McDaniels on the Las Vegas Raiders, signing a 3-year deal worth $33 million. Funnily enough, Smith-Schuster also signed a 3-year, $33 million deal with a base value of $25.5 million when he joined the Patriots. Considering that the Patriots and Meyers couldn’t seem to reach a price that was suitable for both parties, seeing New England shell out the same amount for a different receiver reiterates the notion that they should have stuck with Meyers.
Not only has Meyers grown in productivity since 2019, but he has developed as a leader in the absence of Tom Brady and Julian Edelman. He has built crucial chemistry with Mac Jones, and while the Patriots can survey the wide receiver market and draft a new crop of wideouts, no one will be able to replicate Meyers’ understanding of the playbook and the locker room, at least not by 2023.
Considering that Smith-Schuster and Meyers are the same age and signed such similar contracts, it seems the Patriots would have fared better sticking with Meyers — unless they don’t expect Smith-Schuster to reach his contract incentives, thus expecting a discounted replacement.