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Merely days after the deal between the wide receiver DeVante Parker and the Philadelphia Eagles was finalized, the New England Patriots are dumping his jerseys! And they are making a significant loss. Last year the Patriots signed a contract extension with the 31-year-old. However, that was not the case this time around, and on the day the Patriots released him, he signed with their arch-rivals, the Eagles.

Parker joined the Patriots from the Miami Dolphins, back in 2022. He was the primary catcher during Bill Belichick’s last season with the Patriots. But after his controversial move away from the Patriots to their nemesis, he has fallen from grace.

It is not uncommon to witness huge discounts on the jerseys of the players who leave the team. But rarely, if ever, the jerseys are handed out for free! However, Patriots ProShop is still selling ‘Women’s and Men’s Nike DeVante Parker Navy New England Patriots Game Jersey’ for $129.99.

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But why did the player sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, Parker thought that the Dolphins would help build upon the experience and breakthrough in the near future. However, he hasn’t been to a playoff game since and that’s the main reason for his deal with the Eagles. “I just want to be a part of that. I just want to do whatever I can to help this team get to where they want to go. … Whatever it takes to get there,” he shared.

Parker is of the opinion that he can help the Eagles in 2024. He pointed at one of his skills: Contested catches. In 2023, he was able to bring in 10 contested catches. In fact, his contested catch rate (52.6%) was higher than that of A.J. Brown (45.2%) and DeVonta Smith (39.3%).

Now the Patriots are stopping at nothing to show their displeasure with Parker’s move to the Eagles. And the six-time Super Bowl winners are willing to incur more losses to take this stand.

The Patriots don’t mind paying extra

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Even though the Patriots released Parker, they have some commitments to take care of. And those are not limited to the losses they are making on his jerseys but also his contract with the Eagles.

The Eagles and Parker agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.69 million. But the Eagles will be covering only $1.2 million while the Patriots will pay the remaining $3.49 million. This is because they have carried over his payment from the previous contract extension to this year in dead cap money! It turned out to be a great bargain for the Eagles.

“DeVante is thrilled and grateful to become a Philadelphia Eagle and to help this elite organization win a championship,” Parker’s agent Jimmy Gould said. Parker was unable to replicate his early career success while with the Patriots. But he can’t take the full blame because the team has been in disharmony since Tom Brady’s retirement in 2020. His career with the Eagles will be worth watching.

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Will you be purchasing the jersey of DeVante Parker for free? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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