The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly put in an offer on Christian Kirk

There’s no doubt about it; the Philadelphia Eagles can’t go into Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season with the same receiving corps they fielded in 2021.

While DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins are both safe heading into the forthcoming season, and Greg Ward is now a borderline lock to return following a new one-year extension, neither JJ Arcega-Whiteside nor Jalen Reagor should feel too safe going into their third and fourth professional seasons, respectively. Of the duo, Reagor probably has a bit more leeway, as he was just drafted in the first round not three years ago, but after watching a pair of players drafted in the top-60 regress under a first-year head coach, the prospects of the duo filling sizeable roles in 2022 feels rather unlikely.

But so far, securing a veteran upgrade has proven to be easier said than done.

First came the Eagles’ interest in Calvin Ridley, who was almost acquired via trade before he was suspended for the season for sports gambling. Had Ridley been eligible to play, his $11.116 million fifth-year option would be on Philly’s books instead of Atlanta’s, but alas, an on-field 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide reunion will have to wait until 2023 or until Howie Roseman places a call to O.J. Howard‘s agent.

But you know, it almost wasn’t this way. No, according to tight end-turned-agent Clay Harbor, the Philadelphia Eagles made an offer to premier slot wide receiver Christian Kirk only to be thoroughly outbid by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Goodness, on a day where Marcus Williams also spurned the Keystone State for your friends down I-95, does anyone want to take Howie Roseman’s money?

The Philadelphia Eagles need to turn their attention to cheaper wide receivers.

Though we don’t know exactly how his three-year, $45 million deal will be divided up from year to year, it’s safe to say Haason Reddick will have taken up a good bit of the Philadelphia Eagles’ available cap space, which Spotrac projects as roughly $21,535,723. Could the Eagles still sneak another player or two under the cap? You bet, Roseman loves to restructure contracts more than sign new ones and could certainly convince some vet to take on a smaller cap hit if it means bringing on another difference-maker, but for that to happen, there needs to be a player who wants to come to Philly on a deal they are willing to offer.

So far, that has proven to be easier said than done.

With Christian Kirk, D.J. Chark, Russell Gage, Zay Jones, and Cedrick Wilson off the board at cap hits between $7.5 million and $18 million, the free agent market has become somewhat stratified. While there are still a few big fish who will command big paydays, players like Allen Robinson, Will Fuller, and Jarvis Landry, the biggest mid-level free agent left on the market is probably JuJu Smith-Schuster, who the Eagles are reportedly out on, according to Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice. Is that the correct call? I mean, probably not, as the market is rapidly contracting, and securing Smith-Schuster would prevent the team from having to play a rookie receiver like Treylon Burks right out of the gate before he’s ready, but if the price is too high, say, more than the $8 million he played on in 2021, I get the hesitation.

Below the JuJu-level, there are still a number of quality receivers who could be had for, say, $5 million or less. Want a slot receiver who can give you similar production to Kirk? Jamison Crowder filled that role well for the Jets and the now-Commanders since hearing his name called in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. How about a do-it-all utility player who can serve as a third/fourth receiver depending on how the draft shakes out? Keelan Cole has long been a fan-favorite acquisition target for that very reason. Adam Humphries? Rashard Higgins? Our old pal Mack Hollins? There are a ton of options at varying price points, but none rises above the hottest name in the Twitterverse, Zach Pascal, who played for Nick Sirianni during their shared tenure in Indianapolis.

Measuring in at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Pascal is a big, strong target who can play either the X or slot receiver spot and has a bit of a reputation for his ability to contribute to the run game as a blocker. If JJ Arcega-Whiteside is out, Pascal could do everything he does at a higher level and could theoretically accept a bigger role early that tapers off once a younger option is ready for a more expansive role. After turning in a “down” year while playing on a one-year, $3.384 million extension with the Colts, the Eagles could likely swoop in and secure the undrafted Old Dominion product up and still have money left to spare for a player like Alex Singleton should he want to return via free agency.

Does missing out on Christian Kirk stink? Sure, he would have looked great in midnight green and served as the team’s best slot receiver since “Nelson Agholor: The Good Years.” But goodness, at $18 million a year, Howie Roseman would have been crazy to give up that sort of bag to a receiver who has never amassed 1,000 yards as a pro. While the prospects of landing a top-flight receiver in free agency are rapidly contracting, there are still plenty of exciting options left on the market for the Philadelphia Eagles to choose from, including ones who don’t live with an Instagram famous dog named Boujee.