Eagles receiver spurned the Vikings last summer, now playing in the Super Bowl

Two months after his guarantee, Jeffery signed a one-year, $14 million deal in free agency with Philadelphia. He and the Eagles will play New England in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.

Regardless of who his original prophecy was referring to, Jeffery is close to fulfilling it.

"You've got to believe in something and speak it into existence," Jeffery said.

Clearly, winning was one the receiver's mind at the end of last season, after winning a total of 14 games his final three seasons with the Bears. Chicago didn't make the playoffs in any of Jeffery's five seasons.

"In this offseason, in free agency, I just made a decision looking at the teams where I could possibly go win a Super Bowl," he said.

One of those was the Vikings, who had reported interest in the 27-year old wide receiver. Jeffery said Minnesota "was up there" among his list of possible options in free agency, though he eventually chose Philadelphia.

Why the Eagles? It's pretty simple: Carson Wentz. The quarterback caught Jeffery's attention when he led Philadelphia to a win over the Bears in 2016.

"He was making some plays with his feet and with his arm," Jeffery said.

Not getting Jeffery didn't seem to have too much of a negative effect on Minnesota's passing game this season. Case Keenum had a career year at quarterback, and Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen proved to be one of the league's best receiving tandems. Had Jeffery landed in Minnesota, it would have been interesting to see how the Vikings divvied up playing time and targets.

But you can never have too many options, something Philadelphia has proven this season. And, in signing Jeffery, Minnesota would have prevented Philadelphia — the Vikings' final, insurmountable hurdle to Super Bowl LII — from adding a much-needed weapon.

In two playoff games, Jeffery has hauled in nine of 10 targets for 146 yards. He burned Minnesota in the NFC championship game to the tune of 85 yards and two touchdowns. In the biggest of moments, he's been the big-play threat the Eagles needed.

"He's a presence, certainly, on the outside for us," Eagles wide receiver coach Mike Groh said. "His body type and his ball skills certainly are unique in this league. He can make a lot of contested plays, he's sneaky fast, he's got excellent hands — very strong hands — and so you know with all the playmakers we have out there at one time in our huddle, the defense has to make a decision."

The Eagles are stacked with skilled pass catchers, from Jeffery to tight end Zach Ertz. Tight end Trey Burton said Jeffery's mere presence on the field makes things easier for everyone else.

"You've got one of the best, in my opinion, at the wide receiver on the outside," Burton said. "Somebody that's drawing a ton of attention, whether it's double teams, whether it's the best corner from that team, he loosens up a lot of other wide receivers."

That's helped the Eagles' offense, but may have hurt Jeffery's numbers. While he was a major redzone threat with nine touchdowns, his yardage total (789) was his lowest since his rookie season. But you won't hear Jeffery complain about that. Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich said Jeffery led the team-first charge this season.

"Here you get the guy who's the big stud receiver, who's getting paid all the money, he was so unselfish and it was so about winning, even when there were weeks when he didn't get as many targets," Reich said. "You wondered at the beginning if it was real or it was fake. ... Is he really this unselfish? I can just tell you, he is. He's never wavered off of that. From this entire season, from start to finish, the guy has been a leader and really set the tone for that room on how we spread the ball around."

The only thing Jeffery takes full credit for is the Eagles' touchdown celebrations. He said he's "the director" of those. In his first postseason experience in his sixth NFL season, Jeffery is enjoying every bit of this ride, and certainly happy he chose Philadelphia.

"I soak up this and cherish this knowing what I've been through in my career," he said. "Being here, I really appreciate it."