September 15, 2022
Apparently, Jalen Reagor's got revenge on his mind when he returns to the Linc Monday night.
Via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press...
Vikings WR Jalen Reagor doesn’t deny that there is some revenge on his mind as he prepares to play at Philly
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 15, 2022
The former Eagle played four snaps last Sunday against Green Bay, all on special teams. He returned one punt for seven yards.
By comparison, undrafted free agent turned preseason hero turned practice squad call-up Britain Covey suited up in Detroit and fielded two punts for 13 yards with a long of 11.
A few offseasons ago, desperately in need of receiving help at the time — and with LSU standout Justin Jefferson right there on the board — the Eagles instead took Reagor 21st overall in the 2020 Draft out of TCU.
The Vikings, with the next pick at 22, (in)famously laughed at the decision and took Jefferson right away.
Jefferson quickly became a massive boom for Minnesota's offense. Reagor became a massive bust for Philly's.
Reagor had an unremarkable training camp this summer but made the Eagles' initial 53-man roster. A day later, the 23-year old was traded to the Vikings for a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 fifth (that can become a fourth), ironically making him teammates with Jefferson.
Trade rumors were attached to Reagor pretty much from when the 2021 season ended, and he really didn't take the news of the draft-night trade for A.J. Brown well. However, the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman maintained in the months throughout that Reagor was very much a part of the team's wide receiver room.
But once Reagor was out of the organization, Roseman finally admitted to what the Delaware Valley and the football world as a whole already knew.
"Listen, it's obvious," Roseman told the WIP Morning Show last Tuesday. "I'm not gonna sit here and lie that we would love to have that moment back.
"A lot of the message there is we just have to take the best players at all times. We don't have to worry so much about fit or what we have on the team. You go back to that moment, we had two tight ends [Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert] who were really good in the middle of the field, Greg Ward was coming off a really good year in the slot, and so we were looking for a specific role as opposed to just kind of grading the players, and that's on me. 100 percent.
"At the end of the day, I'm responsible for all that. I take responsibility, but I promise you one thing if I make a mistake I'm gonna do everything in my power to make it up."
Reagor told KTSP in Minnesota last week that he sees the Vikings as a new opportunity and was slotted in as the team's top punt returner.
"I'm gonna say versatility. I'm another spark to all the guys that were here," Reagor said of what he brings to the table. "Just bringing in another spark plug."
He has yet to play a snap on offense, and unless Minnesota's game plan dramatically changes from what worked against the Packers, Jefferson remains the primary concern.
On if Reagor had a chip on his shoulder after the trade: "I'm just motivated by the fear of being average," he said. "So nothing else motivates me besides that."
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Today was our first look at new #Vikings punt returner / wide receiver Jalen Reagor (@jalenreagor): pic.twitter.com/TMWt0S1S5K
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 5, 2022
Author's note: I tried looking for video of Reagor's media availability but came up empty.
Instead, while seeing if the Vikings' website had anything, I saw this.
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