ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday morning and touched on a number of topics. Among them was whether or not the Eagles might trade Alshon Jeffery either before, during, or after the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. While it has been widely assumed that Philly might release or trade Jeffery, Schefter wasn’t so sure:
“There are always things that come up that you never see but I don’t see Alshon getting traded, I see him staying in Philadelphia” – @AdamSchefter on Alshon Jeffrey
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 22, 2020
He went on to clarify that our current economic climate due to the COVID-19 pandemic could play a factor:
“the high price guys with real money involved, the trades this year in the pandemic become more challenging than ever before & it makes it more difficult to move guys like that”
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 22, 2020
The Eagles have been rumored to be looking to move on from Alshon Jeffery for several months now, and they reportedly attempted to trade him before his injury last season. Unfortunately for Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles, they reworked Jeffery’s contract before the start of the 2019 season, guaranteeing much of his 2020 salary. This is a common salary cap maneuver used on players the team expects to stick around for a few years, as it creates short term salary space in return for guaranteeing a portion of the contract.
Roseman uses it often, usually with great success. There is only ever a problem when there is a significant injury or the relationship between the team and player deteriorates rapidly. The Alshon situation is, amazingly, both of those things. With Jeffery, Roseman screwed up. There is just no nicer way to say it.
As Jimmy Kempski put it back in February, Alshon Jeffery had a “bad year trifecta:”
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He had a down year as a player on the field, both in the stat sheet and on the “eye test.”
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In November, the Eagles’ radio network partner’s sideline reporter outed Jeffery as the anonymous (Alshonymous) source who criticized Carson Wentz in each of the last two seasons to national ESPN reporter Josina Anderson, which created significant distractions for the team. (This matches with what I know.)
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And then in December, Jeffery suffered a Lisfranc injury, had surgery, and the typical nine-month recovery period puts him on track to maybe be healthy for Week 1, though that’s only if all goes well.
So the Eagles AREN’T trading Alshon Jeffery?
Based on this, teams will not exactly be lining up to trade for Alshon Jeffery. So, Schefter’s words on Wednesday should not come as a huge surprise. But Eagles fans who have been looking for the team to move on from the troubled wideout were given hope on Monday when Peter King predicted that Jeffery could be moved during the 2020 NFL Draft.
And while there is still some hope that a deal could be made, especially if the Eagles are willing to include another asset in order to facilitate an Alshon Jeffery trade, Schefter does not think it is likely. The expected outcome remains that Jeffery will either be released with a post-June 1 designation in order to split up his sizable cap hit or that he continues to rehab his Lisfranc injury and remains with the Eagles for at least the start of the 2020 season.
