The New England Patriots pulled off what might've been the most surprising victory of the NFL season thus far, defeating the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football on the road to improve to 3-2 on the year. The story of the night was Drake Maye, who completed 73.3 percent of his 30 passing attempts for 273 yards, and his play honestly looked even better than the numbers suggest. He was the reason they won that game.
Maye has had some ups and downs in his second NFL season, but a performance like the one he had on Sunday goes to show that he has arrived. He isn't quite a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback right there, but his ascension is quite clear, even with a slightly underwhelming supporting cast.
Based on what ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted, that supporting cast could receive a substantial upgrade sooner rather than later.
"One other receiver from a struggling team to watch could be Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders and Meyers couldn't reach a deal before Week 1 despite his trade request, and with the Raiders sitting at 1-4, interest in the player could tick upward. Anyway, there will be much movement leaguewide, and I suspect enough interest in the receiver position to forecast a move or two," Fowler wrote.
Fowler didn't link Jakobi Meyers to the Patriots or any other team, but considering his availability on the trade market, why wouldn't the Patriots inquire?
Jakobi Meyers Patriots reunion is all-too obvious
Meyers, of course, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Patriots, and he was awfully consistent. He recorded between 700 and 850 yards in three of the four years, with the lone exception coming in his rookie season. He has been with the Las Vegas Raiders since the start of the 2023 season and has recorded over 800 yards in each of his two full seasons. In fact, he set a career-high with 1,027 yards last season.
He's gotten off to a bit of a sluggish start to this season, but he had eight receptions for 97 yards in Week 1 at New England, and some of his poor start can be attributed to the incomprehensibly bad play of Geno Smith. In a new situation, and perhaps with a new contract, paired with a much better quarterback, it's entirely possible Meyers will revert to star form.
Jakobi Meyers trade would help take Drake Maye to the next level
With how well Maye has been playing, the Patriots should be looking to see just how high his ceiling is. What he's done with not all that much has been impressive, but what can he do by adding Meyers to this wide receiver room?
Stefon Diggs has had back-to-back outstanding performances, and Kayshon Boutte has had some good moments, but this wide receiver room, when compared to others, is fairly underwhelming, particularly when it comes to high-end talent. I'm not going to call Meyers an elite wideout, but 1,000-yard seasons don't happen by accident. He had one last season and is on pace to get there this season, even with his sluggish start.
Pairing Meyers with Diggs and Boutte would suddenly give Maye three reliable options to turn to. Right now, his third receiver is either DeMario Douglas or Mack Hollins, and those two wideouts have combined for just 72 yards all year. Maye needs more optionality, and Meyers would give him that and then some.
Giving Maye as much as they possibly can to work with would be the best for the team and for Maye's development. If the option is there, the Patriots should rush to get a deal done.