Adam Schefter weighs in on where things stand with the Eagles and Alshon Jeffery

The Philadelphia Eagles’ interest (or lack thereof) in Yannick Ngakoue isn’t the only newsy topic that Adam Schefter broached on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday morning. ESPN’s NFL insider was also asked about where things stand with Alshon Jeffery given the recent report that indicated the team has been trying to trade the veteran wide receiver since October.

MARC FARZETTA: What have you heard about Alshon Jeffery?

SCHEFTER: Well, I just know that they’d be open to moving him. I don’t know when it started. I don’t know how it relates to his contract. I’m sure Jeff [McLane’s reporting] would be right. But I haven’t checked into that so I don’t know.

I would just say that, in an ideal world, something would come about. His name has come up in trade talks with other teams.

Does it mean that he’s moved? The thing with the Eagles and trades is, it always has to work for them, obviously. Like, they’re very particular about that. They’re not just going to do something to do something. They’re not going to be forced into a move, they’re not going to be desperate to make a move. They’re going to do whatever works for them.

And while I do think they’re open to moving on from him, and I guess we all think that they’d like to find a trade partner, I also don’t rule out the idea that if nothing materializes [now], that they’ll just sit there and hold on to him as a commodity and if they can’t move him now, you know what, guess what, during training camp — if there’s training camp — some team may lose a wide receiver and may be hungrier for a wide receiver at that point in time.

So, again, I don’t know that that has to happen now, though I’m sure they’d like to make it happen now in a perfect world.

Some have posited that if the Eagles were truly moving on from Jeffery, he’d already be gone by now.

But, as Schefter suggests, it’s entirely possible that Howie Roseman is holding out hope that he can still trade Jeffery at a later date.

The market for Jeffery — if there even is one at all — isn’t exactly heating up right now. Teams are going to be more interested in keeping their picks to use in a 2020 NFL Draft class that’s perceived to be loaded with wide receiver talent.

But perhaps some teams will leave the draft feeling dissatisfied with their receiver situation. And then even more so if/when they sustain an injury or two at that position before the season starts. That’s when the market for Jeffery could theoretically materialize.

Of course, that’s assuming there even is a season. The coronavirus pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty about the future ... way beyond the mere scope of the NFL. Teams could be especially wary of trading for a player like Jeffery when they might not have a real offseason to incorporate him in their offense. On the flip side, Jeffery’s value could increase if the start of the 2020 season is delayed since he’ll have even more time to recover from his Lisfranc injury.

In any case, I found it interesting that Schefter confirmed Jeffery’s name has come up in trade talks and the Eagles would “like to make [a trade] happen now in a perfect world.” Just another sign that points to Jeffery’s exit as an eventual outcome.