Again in 2022, Jakobi Meyers was a key a part of one of the vital weird endings an NFL soccer sport had ever seen. The New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders have been tied at 24 within the last seconds of a late season sport throughout Invoice Belichick‘s penultimate season as head coach. New England appeared content material to run the clock out and play for additional time, handing the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson on a easy draw play.
Stevenson did not get tackled for fairly some time, nonetheless. By the point he did, he pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, a glimmer of hope that the Patriots would possibly be capable of flip a miracle.
Nicely, a miracle did occur. It simply went in favor of the Raiders. After Meyers obtained the pitch from Stevenson, he turned and heaved the ball throughout the sector—straight into the arms of Raiders’ defensive finish Chandler Jones. Jones solely needed to beat one Patriots participant, after which he was off to the races, scoring one of the vital inconceivable touchdowns you may ever see.
The play was so wild that it obtained its personal nickname: “The Lunatic Lateral.” In case you want a refresher:
Whereas Meyers obtained loads of criticism and jokes round his determination, what received misplaced within the shuffle was that he completed because the Patriots prime receiver that 12 months. That led to a three-year, $33 million offseason cope with none apart from the Raiders.
Meyers topped 800 yards in his first season in Las Vegas, then posted profession highs in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,027) the next season. Halfway by way of this 12 months, the Raiders, going nowhere within the standings, traded Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2026 fourth and sixth-round picks.
The affect has been fast. Earlier than Meyers’s arrival, the Jaguars have been 5-3 and twenty third within the NFL in scoring, averaging 20.4 factors per sport. For the reason that commerce, Jacksonville has received 5 out of six video games and seen its scoring output soar to 31.8 factors, second solely to the Los Angeles Rams. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has additionally seen his manufacturing enhance, posting 14 touchdowns throughout six video games with Meyers to simply 9 landing passes in eight video games with out him.
Consequently, Meyers has scored the biggest contract of his profession. The Jaguars prolonged him with a three-year, $60 million deal that runs by way of the 2028 season. The contract consists of $40 million in assured cash.
Sure, Meyers should still hear the occasional joke a few play from years in the past. However it’s loads simpler to have a humorousness whenever you’ve received tens of millions of {dollars} coming your approach.
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