Getty Images Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery celebrating.
Alshon Jeffery might be the locker room rat but he’s not going anywhere. At least that’s what the Eagles are saying publicly.
Jeffery, who saw his 2019 season cut short due to injury, remains under contract through 2021 and carries a hefty $16.7 million cap hit if the team wanted to release him. Complicating matters is the unpredictable timeline with his Lisfranc injury that could see him unable to return in Week 1. Jeffery is virtually untradeable, so the Eagles might as well make the most of it. His 490 receiving yards last season were tops among all Philly wide receivers.
Despite all those factors, the rumor mill has been rife with trade speculation involving Jeffery. His name has been eerily absent in early guesses at depth charts as Jalen Reagor, DeSean Jackson, Marquise Goodwin and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside slot in as possible starters. Except one. Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro has Jeffery lining up opposite Jackson in Week 1 after calling him a “major part of the offense.”
Spadaro, an employee of the team, seems to have the inside track on personnel moves. And he doubled down on his projection on Tuesday morning during a lengthy interview with Angelo Cataldi on SportsRadio 94WIP.
“If he’s healthy, he’s your starting wide receiver alongside DeSean Jackson when the season begins in September. That’s just the facts,” Spadaro told Cataldi. “We, in the organization, are going to throw our arms around Alshon Jeffery and we are going to have him come in and know that we are all starting fresh together and we are ready to go in 2020.”
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Jeffery Trade ‘Impossible’ for Eagles to Pull Off
Spadaro offered insight on the trade rumors around Jeffery, too. He prefaced each statement by saying that he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the Eagles but the fact of the matter is he knows more than most. Remember, he is on the payroll at One NovaCare Way.
His main point in evaluating the Jeffery situation was that the size of his contract — valued at $52 million, with $22.6 million due in base salary over the next two years — is just “impossible” to move. That, coupled with an estimated nine-month recovery time from Lisfranc surgery, should keep him in Philly.
“Honestly, if anyone is interested in trading him — and I’m not saying the Eagles are — this is a player you cannot trade right now,” Spadaro said. “It’s impossible with a contract and an injury like that. He’s a Philadelphia Eagle and he’s a major part of the offense.”
It makes sense. More importantly, it echoes what GM Howie Roseman said about Jeffery in March.
“This guy wants to win world championships in Philly,” Roseman said of Jeffery. “He has told me recently how much he wants to win, for our fans and for our city. He has had those same conversations with other people in the building. It is important for him to be a Philadelphia Eagle.”
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