Philadelphia Eagles: Deandre Hopkins extension makes Alshon’s deal look even worse

The Philadelphia Eagles decision to extend Alshon Jeffery looks even worse.

Set to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15, superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins just got the bag (and then some) from the Arizona Cardinals. Agreeing to a two-year extension worth $54.5 million ($47.25 guaranteed), it tacks on to the initial three years that Hopkins already had on his contract. Hopkins’ total deal now comes out to $94 million over five years, a whopping average annual salary of $18.8 million.

While it’s absolutely incredible that Hopkins was able to negotiate such a lucrative deal for himself, and it seems like Arizona is really beginning to build something special down there, this recent extension only goes to further exemplify just how bad of a move it was to extend Alshon Jeffery by the Eagles.

After his initial one-year contract with the team in 2017, Jeffery and the Philadelphia agreed to a four-year extension worth $52 million. The deal would carry him with the team all the way through 2021, with a majority of the money being backloaded into the latter half of the contract. While Howie Roseman has been known to be a financial mogul in the past, the Eagles general manager then made a borderline disastrous mistake when he then decided to fully guarantee the receiver’s salary in both 2020 and 2021.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

There was zero pressure on Roseman to guarantee Jeffery’s money at the time, in fact, one could go as far as to say that there was pressure to not guarantee him his money. The veteran wideout was coming off a less than stellar 2018 season, capped off by a game-losing drop in the NFC Divisional Round. He looked noticeably less athletic coming back from his shoulder surgery, and reports had started to surface of him not necessarily *liking* franchise quarterback Carson Wentz.

With all the controversy that has surrounded Wentz and his 2017 injury, the last thing the team needed was an internal voice adding to all the frustration.

Despite seeing his money guaranteed prior to 2019’s Week 1, Jeffery was then rumored to be on the open market in terms of a trade. This added an additional layer of confusion to the scenario, as trading Jeffery and his large cap hit would be near impossible. Jeffery then went on to have his worst statistical season since his rookie year, capped off by a nasty lisfranc injury late in the year.

Jeffery was continuously linked in trade talks all offseason long, with reports surfacing as recent as this past weekend that the team still wants him off the roster sometime this year. While some may view his inclusion on the 53-man roster as a positive sign, I personally see it more as a last ditch effort to ship him away before this year’s trade deadline.

A lot was made of the Philadelphia Eagles being unable to trade for a guy like DeAndre Hopkins this past offseason, due to their inability to pay a top-end WR. However, the team is literally already doing so via their Alshon Jeffery mistake. According to Over The Cap, Jeffery is set to be the sixth highest paid WR in 2020 and the fourth highest paid in 2021 (in terms of cap hit). When you acknowledge the level of talent difference between a guy like Hopkins and Jeffery, it’s really hard to not classify this as Howie Roseman’s all-time biggest blunder.

Like previously mentioned, Jeffery was included on the initial 53-man roster as opposed to PUP or IR, and reports have surfaced saying he could be active as soon as October. While I personally am expecting next to nothing from the veteran WR in 2020 and beyond, hopefully 1-2 solid performances can elevate his trade value just enough to convince a team like the Jets or the Packers to come calling.