NEWSLETTER
[UPDATES BELOW: Alshon Jeffery may be leaning toward signing with the Eagles, but the Vikings are pushing.]
Although I want to give you deep and meditative takes on everything breaking today, the reality is that it’s too much, too fast to give you much more than a reasonably well-paced smattering of bits. Apologies!
With the Bears set to bring Mike Glennon aboard as the quarterback of the now, if the team wants any hope of him succeeding in 2017, they will need to surround him with more weapons than are currently available on the roster. That may well mean an aggressive effort to retain free agent wideout Alshon Jeffery, on whom the team declined to use the franchise tag, and whose market may not be shaping up as robustly as he hoped.
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To that end, if it’s true that huge offers aren’t out there, then the Bears may have already made Jeffery a very significant offer:
Other teams believe #Bears are at $13 million per year for WR Alshon Jeffery with an offer. Negotiating tactic or real numbers? Who knows?
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 9, 2017
Obviously the guaranteed portion and the years would be a question, but $13 million annually is not only a high market for the current crop of wide receivers, it would tie T.Y. Hilton’s deal for the sixth highest in football. If the Bears are at this level, it’s a little hard to see how they couldn’t get an extension done before free agency.
But then again:
Another source says #Bears offer to Alshon Jeffery is well below $13M per year. Lot of smoke out there. This will be interesting to track.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 9, 2017
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Meanwhile, although the the Eagles and 49ers had been mentioned as other possible suitors for Jeffery, but it’s worth noting that the 49ers landed Pierre Garcon, and the Eagles have now agreed to sign Torrey Smith:
Source: Torrey Smith has a 3-year deal for $15mil with the #Eagles
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
The Eagles are not out on Jeffery, though (SEE UPDATE BELOW):
The #Colts and the #Eagles are making a strong push to sign WR Alshon Jeffery, source said. Talks are continuing with the #Bears
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
Elsewhere, the Rams have agreed to add Robert Woods on a healthy five-year, $39 million deal ($15 million guaranteed), and the Browns are getting Kenny Britt for four years and $32.5 million ($17 million guaranteed). Take those deals together with Kenny Stills’ with the Dolphins, and you see the picture of arguably a softer second-tier market than many were expecting.
Terrelle Pryor, together with Jeffery, figures to be one of the top options still available, and could move on from Cleveland after the Britt deal.
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And Brandin Cooks remains available in trade, murkying up the waters even further:
The belief is that the #Saints will be able to trade away WR Brandin Cooks by this afternoon. #Patriots, #Titans remain in the mix.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
It’s a crazy time around the league, of course, and the wide receiver market is no exception.
Full free agency opens up in just a few hours …
UPDATE: Sure enough, not only are the Eagles not out on Jeffery, that may be where he’s headed:
I'm told, as of now, WR Alshon Jeffery is leaning towards choosing the #Eagles when free agency starts.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 9, 2017
Note that Anderson is the reporter to whom Jeffery offered his first statement after the Bears elected not to franchise tag him. She’s probably got a good source on this one. Which is not to say there might not still be some gamesmanship going on.
UPDATE: The Vikings, eh?
Hmmmm: A new team has entered the fold for Alshon Jeffery: The rival #Vikings. Jeffery in talks with #Colts, #Bears and #Eagles
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
Is that legitimate interest, or are the Vikings hoping to push up the price tag on a division rival? Or is it the Jeffery camp trying to make the Bears nervous? You can’t know for sure until the docs are signed, but it’s a bit jarring just the same.
Interestingly, the Bears have been connected to Vikings WR/KR Cordarrelle Patterson … though it’s not like this would be an even swap. Mostly I’m just rambling at this point. Sorry. It’s been a busy day.
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