Veteran receiver Chris Givens had something the Eagles wanted.
Speed.
So they signed him to a one-year low-risk, high-reward contract worth $840,000 (with $180,000 guaranteed). The deal reunites him with his former quarterback Sam Bradford, but it also gives the Eagles something they’ve been lacking: a vertical threat.
“That was one of the main things [the Eagles] talked about, my deep threat ability,” Givens said on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after signing (see story).
Givens, 26, had his most productive season in 2012, when he was a rookie fourth-round pick coming out of Wake Forest and catching passes from a young Bradford. At the 2012 combine, Givens ran a 4.41 second 40-yard dash. Then caught five passes of 50-plus yards in his first NFL season with the Rams. Those five 50-plus-yard catches came in consecutive games, setting an NFL record.
To put that in perspective, the Eagles had five 50-plus-yard passes combined in 2015 – and no player had more than one.
For his career, Givens has 107 career catches, and 33 of them have gone for 20 or more yards.
NFL
“I’m way faster than my 40 time on the football field,” Givens said. “And I feel like that’s what separates me, because once the ball’s in the air, it’s just another gear that I kick in. I’ve always had that gear since I was little.”
He might not be a very accomplished NFL receiver, but he is a burner.
At least, he was.
In the last two years, Givens has managed just 31 catches. That’s quite a dropoff from his rookie and second NFL seasons, when he caught 42 and then 34 passes.
Givens’ stats dropped significantly when Bradford tore his ACL the first time.
“Honestly, I like to accept full responsibility for everything, so I kind of felt like there were things I could have done better to help my numbers,” Givens said, “but at the same time, when you don’t have a quarterback who can throw the ball deep, it’s going to affect your (stats) at some point.”
Givens said the chance to reunite with Bradford “played a lot” into his decision to sign with the Eagles. As of Wednesday afternoon, Givens said he hadn’t yet talked to Bradford but planned on calling him later that evening. In St. Louis the two had a very good relationship and worked together after practice every day, Givens said.
Bradford won’t be the only player on the Eagles that Givens knows. Last offseason, he worked out with Jordan Matthews and the two had been texting back and forth all day Wednesday.
What did Matthews tell him?
“Pretty much, ‘just come join the wave and we’re trying to do special things here,’ and I agree with him,” Givens said. “We’re one of those guys who want a lot out of our careers, so it just seemed like a good fit for me.”