We've finally hit NFL Draft week, which means rumors are flying faster than ever. Which team likes which prospect? Who wants to trade up - or down?
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman loves draft night trades, but the one he makes this year might involve a player already on the team's roster.
Veteran wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, whose 2020 status has been up in the air for what seems like ever, could finally be on the move later this week, according to NBC Sports NFL Insider Peter King.
King listed Jeffery as one of six players "likely" to get traded during the draft in a column this week:
Players likely to get traded during the draft, in order: Washington T Trent Williams, Jacksonville DE Yannick Ngakoue, New England G Joe Thuney, Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton, Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette, Philadelphia WR Alshon Jeffery.
It's not news that the Eagles want to deal Jeffery, and it's not news that draft night is a good time to make moves. But a reporter as plugged-in as Peter King calling a Jeffery trade "likely" feels extremely noteworthy.
The last time we checked in on the Jeffery trade situation, Roseman noted that Jeffery has "a lot to prove" but "wants to win" for Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia.
NFL
In late March, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank examined the Jeffery situation in-depth, and reached this conclusion about his trade-ability:
Is Roseman still trying to trade Jeffery? Maybe. But very doubtful. Market value for a 30-year-old receiver who hasn’t had an 850-yard season since 2014 and is coming off a miserable 43-catch season and is perceived as difficult AND is only three months removed from a serious Lisfranc foot injury is just about zero.
Yet here we are, two days before the draft, with a new report linking Jeffery to trade talks. It's unclear what exactly the Eagles could get in return for Jeffery, though the biggest reward would obviously be clearing cap space.
Elsewhere in his column, King acknowledged that if the Eagles manage to trade Jeffery, they might have to pay "a good chunk" of his salary despite getting him off the roster. That's one imperfect, but likely, solution.
Of course, if Roseman is serious about trading Jeffery, the Eagles' thin wide receiving corps would get even thinner, and the team would absolutely need to have a WR contingency plan up their sleeves.
Just another layer of intrigue in the Eagles' unofficial Offseason of the Wide Receiver.
Subscribe and rate the Eagle Eye podcast:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Stitcher / Spotify / Art19
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.