The Alshon Jeffery soap opera took another odd turn, this one could spell the end for the receiver in Philadelphia.
According to The Inquirer‘s Jeff McLane, Jeffery was involved in a minor altercation with a “prominent player on offense” back in October. The incident stemmed from a report alleging that Jeffery was the “anonymous source” who had been leaking inflammatory comments to the media about his displeasure with Carson Wentz.
The Eagles were 3-3 at the time and struggling on offense, with Wentz being accused of failing to know how to “check it down” when the splash plays weren’t there. Jeffery has repeatedly maintained his innocence.
Per the Philadelphia Inquirer: While there may never be any proof that he was behind the anonymous quotes to ESPN criticizing Wentz and the Eagles offense, many inside the NovaCare Complex believe he was the source. Shortly after the report, a prominent player on offense confronted Jeffery to the point where they had to be separated.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was asked specifically about Wentz’s relationship with Jeffery last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. He indicated there were no issues between the quarterback and receiver.
“I think one of the things where Carson really took a big step was in that leadership approach this past year, getting everybody on the same page and on board,” Pederson told reporters. “It’s just unfortunate because we had a lot of high expectations as an offense going into the season and then when pieces started to drop out, it’s just unfortunate that way. But there are no issues between those two.”
Jeffery’s Agent Denies Client Wants Out of Philadelphia
The Athletic‘s Connor Hughes suggested Alshon Jeffery would “welcome the change of scenery” as rumors continue to rage about the receiver’s future in Philadelphia. It’s clear the relationship between the player and the city has been fractured but moving on from Jeffery won’t be easy. The Eagles would take a huge financial hit if they did.
For starters, Jeffery is coming off Lisfranc sprain surgery and probably won’t be ready in time for the start of the regular season. There is some speculation that the recovery timeline might keep him out until Week 2.
The 30-year-old is also under contract for two more years and carries a hefty $9.9 million salary in 2020, a large sum of money that would likely block any potential trade. Jeffery’s cap hit comes in at a whopping $15 million, too. No team is going to want to absorb those financials.
A few years ago, the Texans pulled off an NBA-esque trade to get rid of Brock Osweiler’s contract.
Texans traded a 2017 sixth round pick, 2018 second round pick and Osweiler to the Browns for a 2017 fourth round pick.
The #Eagles may do something similar with Alshon Jeffery.
Of course, the Eagles could free themselves of Jeffery under the league’s new proposed collective bargaining agreement. As ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote:
Further complicating matters is that teams are not able to cut players with a “June 1” designation in the final year of the collective bargaining agreement — a tool that allows teams to spread the dead-cap hit over multiple seasons. Without it, all of the dead money accelerates to the current cap year when a player is released. For the Eagles, that would mean a $26 million dead-cap charge for 2020 if they let Jeffery go now.
Philadelphia is watching the CBA negotiations as closely as anybody. If the NFL and the National Football League Players Association reach a new agreement over the coming days, the “June 1” designation is back in play and moving on from Jeffery becomes an easier task.
That being said, Jeffery has made no public comments about any unhappiness with either the Eagles or Carson Wentz. Quite the contrary. The receiver has indicated that his preference is to remain in Philadelphia, a sentiment reiterated last week by his agent Tory Dandy.
This is a soap opera that might not have a fairy-tale ending. Stay tuned.
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Eagles WR Involved in Locker Room Altercation: Report