New England is losing its leading wide receiver of the past three seasons in NFL free agency, but the Patriots are bringing in a new target for quarterback Mac Jones in the same way.

New England is signing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s coming off a Super Bowl victory with the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith-Schuster was the Chiefs’ top wide receiver during the 2022 season, when he caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns.

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Jakobi Meyers is leaving New England for a three-year, $33 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Meyers had 67 receptions for 804 yards and six touchdowns for the Patriots during the 2022 season.

Smith-Schuster is coming aboard in New England for a three-year, $33 million contract, reports indicate.

Smith-Schuster confirmed the news via his Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon, writing: “Excited for my next chapter in New England! I will give this organization everything I have. Thank you for believing in me!”

Smith-Schuster also was a free agent last offseason, when he signed a one-year, $3.76 million contract to join the Chiefs after five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had played in only five games in 2021 because of a shoulder injury.

In 79 NFL regular-season games, Smith-Schuster has 401 receptions for 4,788 yards and 29 touchdowns. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2018, when he had 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. In six playoff games, Smith-Schuster has 31 receptions for 277 yards and two touchdowns.

With the impending departure of Meyers with the start of free agency on Wednesday afternoon, the Patriots had four wide receivers under contract for 2023 who had caught passes for New England in 2022:

· DeVante Parker had 31 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns in 2022.

· Kendrick Bourne had 35 receptions for 434 yards and one touchdown in 2022.

· Tyquan Thornton had 22 receptions for 247 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.

· Ty Montgomery had three receptions for 15 yards in 2022.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.