Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery wants to be an Eagle. The Eagles want Alshon Jeffery. And when you have two sides that want the same thing, you have a match made to work on and off the football field. And so the news on this Saturday is that the Eagles and Jeffery have agreed to a restructured contract that will guarantee Jeffery's salary next season while also providing salary cap flexibility for the team.
Win. Win. All around.
On the eve of the regular-season opener, the Eagles are continuing to do business – do they ever stop?!!? – with the Jeffery contract news. Last week as the team reached its 53-man roster limit, the Eagles signed cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc, whose contract was set to expire after the 2019 campaign, to a deal through the 2020 season. And while Jeffery's contract, consummated in December 2017, extended through the 2021 season, the new deal guarantees his financial picture for 2020, and that's a plus for Jeffery.
With the business side over, it's all about football for Jeffery, who last season caught 65 passes for 843 yards and six touchdowns in his second Eagles season. Jeffery, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason prior to the 2017 Super Bowl-winning season, had an immediate impact with 57 receptions, 789 yards, and nine touchdowns, and added another touchdown in the Super Bowl LII win over New England.
He is excited to team with DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor to give the Eagles a potent 1-2-3 receiving punch, and at the same time he's helping bring along young receivers Mack Hollins and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside on the 53-man roster and Greg Ward, Jr. and Marcus Green on the practice squad.
"We've got a lot of talented receivers and it's fun to be a part of this group," the soft-spoken Jeffery said during Training Camp. "We're all helping each other, pushing each other."
As for the start of the regular season, well, Jeffery is just like the rest of us: He can't wait to get it started.
"I'm amped," Jeffery said at his NovaCare Complex locker on Friday. "It's going to be great to be out there in front of our fans playing ball. I can't wait. We know it's going to be tough with Washington, a division team, but we're going to be ready to start our season."
