Over the weekend, a report emerged that the Eagles have placed a higher priority on keeping receiver Jeremy Maclin than keeping receiver Riley Cooper.
As we hear it, it’s actually the other way around.
As mentioned on Tuesday’s Pro Football Talk on NBCSN, Cooper is the higher priority than Maclin. Indeed, it’s our understanding that it’s not even close.
Cooper played very well last year, his first as a starter and his first in the Chip Kelly offense. Maclin didn’t play at all after tearing an ACL in training camp.
We’d previously heard that the market for Cooper is expected to be active. Which means that, if the Eagles plan to keep him, they need to match or beat whatever Cooper could get as a free agent.
And that’s the upside to the inevitable tampering that occurs at this time of the year. Both the player and the team know what’s behind Door No. 2 before the door swings open at the start of free agency. They can then try to work out a new contract without having to guess at what the player would get if he walks away.