Philadelphia Eagles sign Alshon Jeffery

For their second signing of the day, the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Alshon Jeffery in free agency.

The former member of the Chicago Bears will join the Philadelphia Eagles and reunite with his old receivers coach Mike Groh. He will be in Philadelphia on a one-year deal for 14 million dollars. The hope is that Jeffery will be able to revert to his 2013 form om which he amassed 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns in Chicago.

The terms of the deal seem weird at first glance with a top free agent only earning one year but with another look it makes sense. Jeffery’s four-game suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs lost him millions of dollars on the open market and also knocked years off of his contract expectations. Add in Jeffery’s injury history and a one-year “prove it” deal isn’t too bad.

With the deal, the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t exposing themselves to too much risk and if he plays well while staying on the field, there’s no reason that the Eagles won’t work on an extension. This can also be looked at as a one-year deal with a 15 (or so) million dollar option for a second year with the franchise tag.

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The biggest takeaway from this deal is that the Philadelphia Eagles plan to compete in 2017. You don’t sign a receiver of Jeffery’s caliber to a one-year deal unless you’re gunning for the division title. Couple this addition with the Torrey Smith signing earlier today, and the Eagles receiving core will look completely different in 2017 and that’s a good thing.

Carson Wentz has been given the weapons that he needs and with a full season from Lane Johnson, he should be well protected to use them this year. There is still a lot that needs to happen on the defensive end to help make this a complete team but Eagles free agency is off to a good start and that’s what matters.

Next: Eagles Release Connor Barwin

The signing sets the Eagles up to be flexible with the number 14 pick in the draft not needing to reach for a receiver like John Ross if Mike Williams and Corey Davis are off of the board. More will likely happen before the night is out but the skill positions aren’t rubber bands and paper clips anymore, and that’s a great thing.