It’s not too often that a receiver who gets released at the end of training camp then gets his choice of several teams in free agency. But that was the situation that arose for second-year wideout Javon Baker this week.
With his decision, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Baker chose to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.
One of Baker’s other choices was the New England Patriots, the organization that drafted him in the 2024 fourth round.
WR Javon Baker plans to join the Eagles practice squad, after mulling multiple options, including a return to the Patriots,” tweeted Reiss.
USA Today’s Patriots Wire’s Danny Jaillet referred to Baker’s decision to head to Philadelphia as a snub at New England.
The Patriots released Baker on Wednesday, but they reportedly informed him that they would like to have him back on the practice squad. He received multiple offers after clearing waivers, including one from the Patriots,” wrote Jaillet.
And he snubbed them all for the Eagles.
The Patriots drafted Baker at No. 110 overall last year. In 11 games as a rookie, Baker posted just one catch for 12 yards.
At UCF in 2023, Baker led the Big 12 with 1,139 receiving yards and 21.9 yards per catch.
Eagles Adding WR Javon Baker to Practice Squad
It’s probably unfair to characterize multiple NFL teams trying to add Baker as a sweepstakes. But he was one of the more sought-after receivers on the free agent market this week after the league’s roster deadline.
NFL teams cut their rosters to 53 players by 4 pm ET Tuesday. Hundreds of players hit the waiver wire and free agency.
Baker didn’t produce much for the Patriots last season. He only played 90 offensive snaps and 28 snaps on special teams.
But Baker is also just 23 years old and two years removed from a year where he was a huge big-play threat in college. In two seasons at UCF, Baker had 1,935 receiving yards and 17.9 yards per reception.
The wideout started his college career at Alabama. He was part of the Crimson Tide’s national championship roster in 2020. Baker transferred to UCF after the 2021 season.
To add Baker to the practice squad, the Eagles will have to make a corresponding move. Philadelphia had three receivers, Terrace Marshall, Britain Covey and Elijah Cooks, already on the practice squad before signing Baker.
Baker’s Tenure With Patriots Ends
New England initially kept eight receivers on its 53-man roster Tuesday. Baker was one of those eight wideouts.
But to continue keeping eight receivers, the Patriots would have needed to sacrifice depth elsewhere on the roster. Baker became the odd-man out, which was the expectation from most Patriots pundits before Tuesday’s roster deadline.
Like Jaillet, NBC Sports Boston’s Darren Hartwell argued there was an open spot for Baker on New England’s practice squad. But after clearing waivers, the receiver had the right to choose his next team.
Baker chose not to continue his career with the Patriots.
Now that it’s official finished, Hartwell referred to Baker’s tenure with the Patriots as a “massive disappointment.
After the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the UCF product boasted that he could “make people in wheelchairs stand up” with his talent. Instead, he mostly sat on the bench, playing just 12 percent of New England’s offensive snaps and finishing the season with one catch for 12 yards,” wrote Hartwell.
Baker also dealt with multiple off-field issues, including a heated rant on social media over a traffic ticket that led to discipline from the team and a missed curfew in London before the Patriots’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Former Big-Play WR Snubs Patriots, Signs With Eagles Instead: Report