The Eagles already pay one receiver more than $10 million per year. With two others coming up for free agency, the Eagles may have to choose between them.
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles have placed a higher priority on keeping Jeremy Maclin than Riley Cooper.
Possible translation? The Eagles have learned enough about the expected market for Cooper (which is being set via meetings and conversations at the Scouting Combine that technically amount to tampering) to realize that someone else will pay Cooper, who’s expected to have an active market, more than what the Eagles can or will pay.
So they’ll instead try, per McLane, to sign Maclin to a one-year contract, given that he tore an ACL in training camp and needs to re-establish his value and production. The Eagles also will try to add another starting-caliber receiver via free agency.
With a buyer’s market coming at the position, the Eagles likely will be able to find a very good receiver for much less than whatever Cooper will get from whichever team is currently making it clear that it will pay far more than the Eagles can or will.