BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Alshon Jeffery could’ve complained at any point.
When he made the choice to leave the Chicago Bears after five years and sign a one-year, $14 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles last March, he did it with the hopes of eventually landing long-term security as one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers.
The seven targets that came his way in the Eagles season opener against the Redskins were by no means the lion’s share. Quarterback Carson Wentz spread the ball around to eight receivers in a 30-17 win.
But to Jeffery, the numbers on the scoreboard mattered more than his numbers on the stat sheet.
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After he was targeted a season-high 13 times in a 27-20 loss at Kansas City in Week 2, Jeffery could’ve made a fuss when he got only eight targets against the Giants in Week 3 or six targets against the Chargers in Week 4 or four targets against the Cardinals in Week 5.
But the Eagles kept winning, and Jeffery kept his focus the same.
Initially, offensive coordinator Frank Reich couldn’t believe it.
“Here you get a guy — big, stud receiver, he’s getting paid all the money — and he was so unselfish and it was so about winning,” Reich said. “Even when there were weeks where he didn’t get as many targets, you wondered at the beginning if it was real or it was fake. You just wondered, ‘Is this real? Is he really this unselfish?’ ”
As the season played out, Reich learned that everything about Jeffery was authentic.
Jeffery caught 57 passes for 789 yards and 9 touchdowns — modest numbers for a player who had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2013 (career-high 1,421) and 2014 (1,133). But the unselfish mentality among the Eagles skill-position players started with Jeffery and trickled down.
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“There’s no doubt that Alshon was a leader in that regard — from Day 1 until now,” said Reich. “Honestly, that has, I think, been very important.
“He’s never wavered off that. For this entire season, from the start to finish, the guy has been a leader and really set the tone for that room on how we spread the ball around.”
In the offseason, the Eagles added big-name veterans to a core of young talent. Along with Jeffery, they signed running back LeGarrette Blount and receiver Torrey Smith.
Each was accustomed to being a focal point.
Blount led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. Smith thrived in Baltimore, catching 65 passes for 1,128 yards in 2013 before spending two trying seasons in San Francisco, where he totalled 930 yards and 7 TDs on 53 receptions.
When they got to Philadelphia, they knew they’d get further by sharing the wealth rather than demanding it.
“I think that’s who they brought in here,” Smith said. “I think we’re all kind of used to certain roles kind of being the bigger dogs, I would say.
“But overall, you realize we’re all playing for one game. I came here to be in this position right now. I expected to be in this position and I saw that in this organization.
“Alshon came here because he wanted to be in this position. Obviously, he was going to be a free agent, but when it comes to winning and playing well, that stuff kind of takes care of itself.
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“I think with our team, we realize if we all do our jobs, you never know who’s going to have the big game. We’re all equally as happy whether it’s us or the next man. That’s a key for us.
“You see it every week, you’ll see when someone scores, everyone’s coming in. I mean, folks are coming off the sidelines to celebrate and it’s really, honestly about this team and everyone buying in because we want to be in this position and we want to win.”
For Jeffery, it was simple logic. In the five years he spent with Chicago, despite the monster numbers he put up (304 receptions, 4,549 yards, 26 TDs), he never reached the playoffs.
“I just know from the experience I’ve been through,” Jeffery said. “Just look at the history. This is not basketball where you score a lot of points and one player can take over the game.
“In football, you need everyone. It don’t matter who’s catching the ball, you need someone blocking, catching, tackling. It’s all together, man. It all plays hand in hand.”
Eagles tight end Zach Ertz was the first to take notice of Jeffery’s approach.
“On teams that I’ve been a part of in the past, it’s kind of, ‘As long as I get my catches or my yards’ or whatnot,” Ertz said. “But with this team, it’s the complete opposite. Everyone’s had success in our skill-position group, but guys haven’t had the team success. And I think a lot of it stems from Alshon coming in here with no agenda.
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“He said all along he didn’t care about the catches or yards he had. All he wanted to do was win. Even at the beginning of the season when him and Carson weren’t on the same page at the beginning, he said it repeatedly after games, ‘All I care about is winning.’ ”
Had ego taken over for any of them, it would’ve undermined the chemistry that’s been so critical to the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl.
“It was really important because you simply don’t want to seem like the guy that complains or gets upset about not touching the football,” Blount said.
“Everybody wants to touch the football on offense. Guys that aren’t getting dressed. Guys that are on the sideline in team gear, everybody wants to touch the football. But it’s a difference in wanting to get the ball and making a big deal about getting the ball.
“Eventually, the carries and the catches are going to come your way.”
Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.