Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery was confronted by a teammate this past season to the point where the two had to be separated, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The confrontation, according to the report, was over the belief that Jeffery was the player quoted anonymously by ESPN making critical comments about Carson Wentz.
While there may never be any proof that he was behind the anonymous quotes to ESPN criticizing Wentz and the Eagles offense, many inside the NovaCare Complex believe he was the source. Shortly after the report, a prominent player on offense confronted Jeffery to the point where they had to be separated.
Many believe it was Jeffery who was behind this criticism of Wentz reported by Josina Anderson back in October when the team was struggling:
"With the team being 3-3, an Eagles source also talked to me about how they feel like that offense is functioning," Anderson said on ESPN's NFL Live in October: "'We need to make bleep simpler. Sometimes we need to just handle what is manageable. Even Peyton Manning knew when to check it down.'"
Jeffery denied shortly after that he was the source.
Head coach Doug Pederson denied this past week at the NFL Combine that there were any issues between Jeffery and Wentz.
"I think one of the things where Carson really took a big step was in that leadership approach this past year, getting everybody on the same page and on board," Pederson said. "It's just unfortunate because we had a lot of high expectations as an offense going into the season and then when pieces started to drop out, it's just unfortunate that way. But there are no issues between those two."
Since the report, Jeffery's departure from the Eagles has seemed like a forgone conclusion. Jeffery's 2019 season was not only a disappointing one statistically, but he also ended the season on injured reserve with a foot injury that could sideline him into the next season. Complicating the Eagles' potential decision to release Jeffery is that his 2020 salary was fully guarantee prior to the start of last season. Now, if the Eagles release Jeffery, it will cost them roughly $10 million in salary cap space — cutting their total space available from around $40 million to around $30 million.
If the Eagles are serious about getting younger and faster at receiver, however, moving on from Jeffery might be a move they have to make regardless of the salary cap consequences.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
