For those who somehow missed recent news regarding former Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, here’s a quick recap. The 26-year old had reportedly stated multiple times he wished to stay in Chicago. He was confident a deal could get done. Yet nothing did. Some assumed the Bears were being cheap. However, Adam Schefter of ESPN soon revealed a telling piece of information regarding the truth of that.
He told the MMQB that Jeffery called him requesting information about what other receivers were making on the open market. This was a clear indicator that he’d been misleading people about his true intentions. Jeffery clearly planned to leave Chicago and was chasing the best possible money deal he could get.
Jeffery free agency folly
“Schefter goes through the contract numbers on Smith, Jackson and Pierre Garçon, slowly, so Jeffery can apparently write them down. “It’s all about the guarantee, Alshon,” Schefter says. “It’s all about the guarantee … Your average per year could be $100 million. It doesn’t matter. If they’re going to guarantee you the majority of the contract, that’s what you want.”
Schefter asks where Jeffery is going. Jeffery doesn’t have an answer yet. Schefter asks that Jeffery notify him when he does make a decision and leaves the conversation at that.
After he hangs up, Schefter explains that he helps players like that “hoping that they reciprocate. Some people do, and some people don’t. And we’re going to find out.”
Jeffery did not. Instead he revealed to another insider, Josina Anderson, a short time later that he was signing a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Suffice to say there were more than a few fans who were not happy with Alshon after those details came to light. They felt his talk about loving Chicago and promising Super Bowls had all been just a bunch of BS.
Apparently Jeffery was not thrilled about the sudden backlash. In fact he even took to Twitter defending himself, stating the article was flatly wrong and untrue.
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Let me set the record straight! I NEVER sought advice from media before I decided to sign my contract with the Eagles. The lies people tell!
— Alshon Jeffery (@TheWorldof_AJ) March 23, 2017
Damage control
If this were coming from another source it might be easy to believe that. This is Sports Illustrated and the best NFL insider in the business though. It doesn’t get much more legit than that. By that story it was clear Alshon Jeffery made a big mistake giving Schefter the cold shoulder regarding his plans. So Schefter retaliated with his greatest weapon: information.
Jeffery already had a dimming legacy in Chicago before he exited stage right. His final two years were marked by injuries and an ugly four-game suspension for PED violations. The promise he’d shown earlier in his career was a distant memory. More than ever he’s started looking like the classic #2 receiver most people viewed him as. That’s why he didn’t get a lucrative deal in free agency, and it may have cost him what was left of his credibility.
At least in the eyes of fans. He’ll forge ahead in Philadelphia, but any chance he had of carving out a truly special place in history? That’s gone.
