Jakobi Meyers remembers dialog with Cam Newton at Patriots apply that ‘saved’ his profession

The breakout season that established Jakobi Meyers as one in all New England’s prime receivers got here in 2020, when Cam Newton was the Patriots’ quarterback.

Meyers caught 59 passes for 729 yards in 14 video games that season. Meyers would go on to steer New England in receiving yards the subsequent two seasons earlier than signing with the Raiders this previous offseason.

However, the journey wasn’t fully clean. Meyers discovered himself totally on the bench originally of the 2020 season. He mentioned he was annoyed to the purpose the place he virtually gave up on soccer.

That’s when Newton pulled Meyers apart for a dialog close to their lockers, Newton mentioned throughout an episode of his YouTube present “4th-&-1 with Cam Newton.”

“In New England, you’re going to compete in apply,” Newton mentioned. “On daily basis you will have apply, there’s going to be a interval or durations devoted to one-on-one competitors. I bear in mind we had Stephon Gilmore and Jakobi was going up with him and he wasn’t blinking. He was producing. I used to be like ‘why are you not standing on the desk, getting reps, as a result of they weren’t even dressing you?’”

“After which the next week, we performed the Jets, after which your birthday, and the remaining was historical past,” Newton mentioned. “The world was seeing – I’m not going to take a seat up right here and say what I used to be seeing – since you had been balling out as a rookie, having that reference to [Jarrett Stidham], however simply that perception in your self, that’s what I stand on.”

Meyers mentioned within the dialog that it was a turning level in his profession. He was so annoyed on the time that he thought-about giving up on soccer.

“It’s loopy you inform that story, since you don’t even know,” Meyers mentioned. “I keep in mind that scenario you’re speaking about bro. That low-key saved my profession bro. I don’t even assume you understand how critical that was for me. Such as you mentioned, 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 determine it out. Simply that speak bro, I bear in mind sitting there in that chair and that speak was good timing. I’ll at all times recognize you for that for certain.”

Meyers mentioned he thinks again to the dialog typically and what his profession would have been like with out it. Meyers mentioned the 3-year, $33 million deal that he signed with the Raiders modified his life.

“It was life altering, as a result of you realize me,” Meyers mentioned. “You understand how I’m. I might put on the identical garments if I’ve to, the identical sweats day-after-day if I’ve to. In my eyes, I used to be doing it for my household. So, once I made cash, that greenback needed to be break up between me and my of us. Simply making it to the place I’m now, I’ve lastly had the possibility to only breathe and play for myself just a little bit.”

“I can lastly see what I could be,” Meyers continued. “How good I could be on the sector as a substitute of similar to my household — we want this, so that you’ve acquired to go on the market and take these hits, you’ve acquired to go on the market and block this dude. I’m not going to lie, it gave me a complete new facet on soccer, like I get to get pleasure from it just a little bit extra. I get to attempt to be a greater teammate, a greater individual, be extra concerned in it. I’m simply grateful for actual.”