In case you didn’t realize, Jakobi Meyers is a football player, and football players are tough.

Meyers could’ve wheeled out of the Patriots locker room in a full body cast with the amount of injuries he had to deal with during the 2022 season, and we would’ve thought nothing of it. He suffered a concussion that kept him out for a game, and later played through a shoulder injury in the second half of the season.

But Meyers also suffered a knee injury early in the season, which forced him to miss two games. And it was apparently a serious one.

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  Oct 9, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

• As part of a new report by the Boston Herald‘s Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian on internal strife between the Patriots’ offensive players and coaches, it was revealed that Meyers “played through a small tear in his knee midseason.” Meyers sat against the Ravens and Packers in Weeks 3-4, then returned in Weeks 5-6 against the Lions and Browns, despite remaining on the injury report with the knee.

  Meyers played eight consecutive games before missing a game against the Cardinals with a concussion. Despite playing only 14 games, he still led the Patriots with 804 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. He likely would’ve led the team in catches if not for Rhamondre Stevenson, who played all 17 games and caught 69 passes.

  It seems the tear was small enough to heal by itself. There has yet to be news of Meyers undergoing any kind of surgery. But he wasn’t listed with a knee injury at any point after Week 7. It’s just a wild injury to actually play through. Meyers made seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from the injury, against the Lions.

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  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 17: Mac Jones #10 and Jakobi Meyers #16 of the New England Patriots shack hands before their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium on October 17, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Meyers is on track to become an unrestricted free agent in March. He will arguably be the headliner of the UFA class among receivers, with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Sterling Shepard, D.J. Chark, and fellow Patriot Nelson Agholor among the most notable names.

  The Patriots would be behooved to keep Meyers, their most consistent and dependable receiver and one of Mac Jones’ favorite targets. If he leaves, they’ll have to find a new slot receiver, if they don’t plan to park Kendrick Bourne in that spot or otherwise identify it internally.

  But it’s likely that the Patriots will be priced out on Meyers, if he’s the best player available at his position. He’ll be a valuable – and tough – addition to whatever team brings him in.

• Click here for complete New England Patriots coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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