The New England Patriots being a dumpster fire in the 2023 season was not something that most fans expected. After a not-so-good 2022 season, many expected the team to bounce back in some way. Instead, New England has been somehow worse this season. The offense has been god-awful, and the defense is bound to regress after losing two key players in Christian Gonzales and Matthew Judon.

Part of the Patriots' woes on offense is their lack of weapons on that side of the ball. Their wide receiver group, in particular, has been underwhelming. The departure of Jakobi Meyers seemed to hurt them more than they anticipated. As it turns out, the team wasn't even interested in retaining the now-Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, per Andrew Callahan's report.

“Days before signing with Las Vegas, a shocked Meyers told inquiring teammates and staffers: “They don’t want me.” One league source indicated the Pats weren’t even the runner-up for Meyers, despite entering free agency with the sixth-most cap space in the NFL. This week, Bill Belichick claimed Meyers was a priority in an offseason when he re-signed 13 of the Patriots’ 16 other free agents. Did Belichick believe the two sides were ever close?”

Instead of keeping Jakobi Meyers, the Patriots decided to offer the same contract to Juju Smith-Schuster. The former Chiefs WR had a solid season in 2022, but he's failed to capture that same magic in New England. Meanwhile, Meyers is having a solid season in Las Vegas despite their records. It's not a good look for the Belichick regime, that's for sure.