With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith leading the way in the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia Eagles have been lucky enough to put together one of the top wide receiver rooms in the NFL.
Having those pillars in place can be intimidating for outsiders looking to crack a roster. This is undoubtedly a good problem for Philadelphia's coaching staff to have. However, it doesn't always work out for the players who choose to join other teams rather than putting themselves through the level of competition needed to make a championship-level roster.
One player who recently chose a path of lesser resistance to break into the league was former Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Rakim Jarrett. The former five-star prospect rejected Philly's attempts to draft him in 2023 in favor of signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, his stay there came to an end on Monday, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.
BREAKING: Star receiver Rakim Jarrett confirms that the Eagles attempted to draft him in the 7th round until he mentioned he already had a deal in place to sign with the Buccaneers.#NFL #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/QCy8Qb5r8V
— 💣ミ𝘍𝘐𝘙𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘊𝘈𝘕𝘕𝘖𝘕𝘚彡💣 (@Bucshitcrazy) August 22, 2023
#Buccaneers are waiving WR Rakim Jarrett, source says. Jarrett had 13 catches for 184 yards in 20 games over the past two seasons with Tampa. pic.twitter.com/AWSddl9ogi
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 24, 2025
After Rejecting Eagles as Rookie, WR Rakim Jarrett Waived by Buccaneers
While Jarrett did ultimately make the Buccaneers as a rookie, it was rare for him to have the ball thrown in his directio. Jarrett was only targeted 20 times over 20 appearances with the Bucs across two campaigns, but he did manage to reel in 13 of those 20 targets for 184 yards.
Now, the 24-year-old wideout must search for a new home within the NFL after the majority of the league has all but finalized their respective wide receiver rooms for the 2025 campaign. There is no reason for Philadelphia to be interested in adding Jarrett to the fold this time around, though. Beyond the obvious stars on the outside in Brown and Smith, the Eagles are pretty set at that position following the addition of John Metchie III.
No one can say what Jarrett's career would look like right now had he chosen Philadelphia over Tampa Bay two summers ago. Given that the Eagles are the defending champions, though, it's safe to say that no one within Philadelphia's organization has been losing sleep over it.