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‘It’s hard to turn down Las Vegas’: Jakobi Meyers, the Patriots’ leading receiver, is signing with Raiders

Jakobi Meyers went undrafted and signed with the Patriots as a rookie. He collected 235 passes for 2,758 yards and 8 touchdowns in New England.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

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Jakobi Meyers is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders after agreeing to a three-year deal worth up to $33 million with $21 million guaranteed, a league source confirmed.

“It’s hard to turn down Las Vegas,” Meyers told CBS. “When you look at their offense, when you look at their coaches. They wanted me, I wanted them. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out with the Patriots. I put a lot of effort in my time there. I appreciate them, but God works in mysterious ways. I’m blessed.”

The deal is for three years and is worth $33 million, with $16 million fully guaranteed.

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Coincidentally, Las Vegas is the spot where Meyers’s most memorable play from last season occurred. His last-gasp lateral attempt to Mac Jones was picked off by Chandler Jones, whose touchdown secured the Raiders’ 30-24 win in one of the NFL’s most bizarre endings of the season.

In 60 career games, including 39 starts, Meyers, undrafted from North Carolina State, collected 235 passes for 2,758 yards and 8 touchdowns as he built rapports with Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones.

Meyers is on the move from New England to Vegas.John Tlumacki/Globe Staff

Meyers was a clutch safety blanket for Jones last season, catching 22 passes for 330 yards on third downs. He was tied for 16th in the NFL on third-down catches.

Now he’ll be a target for former Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on a team run by former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the Raiders’ head coach.

The Patriots did make their first external move, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with offensive tackle Calvin Anderson, who originally signed with the team as an undrafted rookie in 2019.

Anderson, who played with the Broncos last season, confirmed the move in a tweet: “To Pats Nation, I remember signing with you after the draft. Everything comes full circle, and I can’t wait to give you everything I have and more. Not much for me to say, but a lot for me to do. Let’s work.”

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Anderson had been spot starter at left tackle for the Broncos the last three seasons.

The club also re-signed another of its internal free agents, with versatile safety Jabrill Peppers agreeing to a two-year contract, according to league source.

Coming off an ACL injury in 2021, Peppers played in all 17 games in 2022, his first season in New England. He made 60 tackles with a fumble recovery.

A tough, hard-nosed tackler, Peppers was used in a variety of roles and excelled in physical matchups near the line of scrimmage. With a year of the Patriots system under his belt, coupled with Devin McCourty’s retirement, Peppers could see an expanded role in 2023.

In other news, the Patriots tendered restricted free agent Myles Bryant at the right-of-first-refusal level, which amounts to a one-year contract at $2.6 million, a league source confirmed.

This means the cornerback/safety and special teamer can play on that deal or New England has the option to match any offer he receives from another team.

Defensive back Myles Bryant now figures to be among the returnees.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

An undrafted free agent in 2020, Bryant took over as New England’s slot corner in 2022 after Jonathan Jones shifted to the outside. He played in all 17 games with 70 tackles, 6 passes defended and an interception.

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Nicole Yang and Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.


Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com. Follow him @globejimmcbride.