Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on Mac Jones: He's the real deal
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones won the starting job over Cam Newton and became a leader in New England from Day 1. Following in the footsteps of Tom Brady was no small feat yet he helped the team to a 10-7 record and a Wildcard appearance. As a rookie, he finished with 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Coming off a Pro-Bowl selection in his first season, Jones will look to build on that foundation in Year 2. When asked about his quarterback’s projection heading into next season, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers says Jones has taken the offense all to himself.
“You say, ‘Has he taken control of the offense?’ That’s just a capital Yes,” said Meyers during a Zoom press conference on Thursday. “Exclamation mark, exclamation mark. He’s the real deal.”
Meyers was Jones’ go-to option with a team leading 126 targets last season. He totaled 83 catches for 866 yards and two touchdowns in his third season as a Patriot. Now that they’ve built a connection with him over the last year, they’re spending this offseason working on the finer details of how Jones wants his receiving core to play.
“We all kinda try to just catch up to what’s in his mind and his vision. I know him and coach have been doing a great job of just relaying information to us,” said Meyers. “Ultimately when we’re out there, he tells us when we ask him how do you want it? Where do you want us to be? When do you want us to be there? He’s been really adamant about what he says.”
If nothing else, Jones’ cerebral has made it easy for him to step right into success in the NFL. It has also made it easy on his receivers to adjust to their new QB1. After a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wildcard, Jones will have the Patriots on a mission to get another shot in the postseason. From there, Meyers says all he and his teammates will have to do is get their hands on what Jones airs in their direction
“He has a clear vision in his mind. It’s really easy to work with him because he just puts us in the right direction. We just (have) to catch the balls he throws.”