The Philadelphia Eagles and free agent receiver Alshon Jeffery agreed to a one-year deal, the club announced Thursday.
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With the signing of Torrey Smith earlier in the day, the Eagles have finally gotten Carson Wentz some real weapons for his second National Football League season. Jeffery went to the Pro Bowl in 2013 after catching 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven TDs.
No doubt Jeffery is getting paid this year, but there’s also some risk involved here for him.
Unable to agree on a long-term contract extension, the Bears placed their franchise tag on Jeffery last season, guaranteeing him $14.599 million.
In order to sign them, however, the Eagles were forced to part ways with a popular player to create enough room under the salary cap. In 2016, he played in 12 games and managed to haul in 52 passes for 821 yards with a career-low two touchdowns.
Jeffrey’s contract, however, is only for one year and $14 million.
When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Torrey Smith earlier today, they were hardly done shopping for wide receivers. Although to be fair, there’s only so much one can do with Brian Hoyer, Jay Cutler, and Matt Barkley throwing passes behind center. But their signings, particularly Jeffery’s, will come at a cost. Whether it is in free agency or the 2017 NFL Draft, at least one wide receiver add must be made. He stands 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. Investing deeply at receiver will likely prevent them from addressing those needs in the rest of free agency.
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Coming off a down season, in which he changed positions, going from outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense to a defensive end in a 4-3, he managed just five sacks and 41 tackles. Finally, Jeffery now has the option of living in New Jersey, where it’s illegal to pump your own gas. After suffering through a solid rookie campaign with one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL, Wentz actually has a No. 1 receiver to play pitch-and-catch with this season.
