Overview
- Jeffery told Julian Edelman on Tuesday that New England originally offered him a one-year deal worth “almost up to $20 million” in 2017 and then returned with a much smaller proposal after signing Stephon Gilmore.
- The Patriots signed Gilmore that offseason to a reported five-year, $65 million contract, a move that reporters say reduced New England’s available money for other free agents.
- Jeffery declined the revised Patriots offer and signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he caught a touchdown and helped the Eagles beat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
- Coverage notes a discrepancy in reporting about Jeffery’s Eagles pay that year, with outlets citing either $9.5 million or $14 million, and the Patriots’ leadership has not publicly disputed Jeffery’s recollection.
- The episode highlights the Patriots’ roster-management tradeoffs and how a single free-agent allocation can produce diverging career paths, with Gilmore later winning Super Bowl LIII and the 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year while Jeffery’s career declined after 2017 due to injuries.