Jakobi Meyers recalls conversation with Cam Newton at Patriots practice that ‘saved’ his career

Patriots

“I remember that situation you’re talking about bro. That low-key saved my career bro. I don’t even think you know how serious that was for me.”

The breakout season that established Jakobi Meyers as one of New England’s top receivers came in 2020, when Cam Newton was the Patriots’ quarterback.

Meyers caught 59 passes for 729 yards in 14 games that season. Meyers would go on to lead New England in receiving yards the next two seasons before signing with the Raiders this past offseason.

But, the ride wasn’t entirely smooth. Meyers found himself mostly on the bench at the beginning of the 2020 season. He said he was frustrated to the point where he almost gave up on football.

That’s when Newton pulled Meyers aside for a conversation near their lockers, Newton said during an episode of his YouTube show “4th-&-1 with Cam Newton.”

“In New England, you’re going to compete in practice,” Newton said. “Every day you have practice, there’s going to be a period or periods dedicated to one-on-one competition. I remember we had Stephon Gilmore and Jakobi was going up with him and he wasn’t blinking. He was producing. I was like ‘why are you not standing on the table, getting reps, because they weren’t even dressing you?’”

“And then the following week, we played the Jets, and then your birthday, and the rest was history,” Newton said. “The world was seeing – I’m not going to sit up here and say what I was seeing – because you were balling out as a rookie, having that connection with [Jarrett Stidham], but just that belief in yourself, that’s what I stand on.”

Meyers said in the conversation that it was a turning point in his career. He was so frustrated at the time that he considered giving up on football.

“It’s crazy you tell that story, because you don’t even know,” Meyers said. “I remember that situation you’re talking about bro. That low-key saved my career bro. I don’t even think you know how serious that was for me. Like you said, I wasn’t even dressing?”

“It was like, no bro, this ain’t for me,” Meyers continued. “This league stuff ain’t for me, I’ll go figure it out. Just that talk bro, I remember sitting there in that chair and that talk was perfect timing. I’ll always appreciate you for that for sure.”

Meyers said he thinks back to the conversation often and what his career would have been like without it. Meyers said the 3-year, $33 million deal that he signed with the Raiders changed his life.

“It was life changing, because you know me,” Meyers said. “You know how I am. I would wear the same clothes if I have to, the same sweats every day if I have to. In my eyes, I was doing it for my family. So, when I made money, that dollar had to be split between me and my folks. Just making it to where I am now, I’ve finally had the chance to just breathe and play for myself a little bit.”

“I can finally see what I can be,” Meyers continued. “How good I can be on the field instead of just like my family — we need this, so you’ve got to go out there and take these hits, you’ve got to go out there and block this dude. I’m not going to lie, it gave me a whole new aspect on football, like I get to enjoy it a little bit more. I get to try to be a better teammate, a better person, be more involved in it. I’m just grateful for real.”