Is the feeling mutual, though?
The remaining free agent wide receiver options available to the Philadelphia Eagles are, well, not exactly enticing.
One name that does carry some juice, however, is a player literally nicknamed “Juice.” And the Eagles may just have some interest in acquiring him.
The following exchange took place on 97.5 The Fanatic’s The John Kincade Show on Monday morning. (Hat tip to @wooderboys for pulling the clip, see my transcription below.)
JOHN KINCADE: “Prominent NFL insider had said to me that the Eagles were very much trying to see if they could acquire Robert Woods from the Rams. They were in on him. And they got turned down. The same NFL insider has shared with me this morning another name to expect to target. Do you wanna guess? He believes this person is the new buzz right now of someone they are hovering around.
JAMIE LYNCH: “Not Jarvis Landry?”
JOHN KINCADE: “Yes. […] He believes Jarvis Landry is where they’ve moved on to. […] They’ve moved on to looking at Jarvis Landry.”
Indeed, the Eagles were said to be in on Woods. So this tidbit might be worth paying attention to.
Given the state of Philly’s receiving corps, it’s not hard to see why they would have interest in Landry. DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins are currently the only viable WR options on the Eagles’ roster. Landry is a player who’s averaging 86 receptions, 950 yards, and about nine touchdowns per season since entering the league in 2014.
But it’s not easy to see why Landry’s interest would be mutual. The production he’s had has been made possible by being a high-volume priority; he’s averaging 130.6 targets per season. He wouldn’t be seeing those kind of looks in Philly.
Consider that DeVonta Smith led the Eagles in targets last season with 104. Almost everyone agrees he was underutilized. And the team’s pivot to the league’s heaviest run offense was a big factor in his lack of opportunities.
So, unless Landry is suddenly willing to take a significantly smaller role, I don’t see him coming to Philly. If he isn’t able to land a lucrative multi-year contract, he probably wants to sign a one-year deal with a team where he’ll have the opportunity to post big numbers and attack the market again next offseason. And/or he’ll probably want to join a team with a much more established quarterback than Jalen Hurts.
There’s been some buzz that Landry, who reportedly visited the Atlanta Falcons, had interest in teaming up with Deshaun Watson down there. There’s still some talk that the Browns could bring him back. The Green Bay Packers have been speculated as a Landry landing spot in the aftermath of the Davante Adams trade. Methinks he might prefer playing with Aaron Rodgers over Hurts.
If the Eagles want to sign a free agent receiver, they’ll probably need to settle for one of the bargain options available to them. Or just pay a guy like Landry so much that he can’t refuse to come to Philly, which doesn’t seem likely.