It was a chaotic week for the Philadelphia Eagles. Carson Wentz is in Indianapolis, DeSean Jackson has been released and Alshon Jeffery has been informed that his future is not in the City of Brotherly Love. In addition to the beginning of a new era, there is a method behind madness. As it stands, the Eagles are still $ 37 million above the salary cap (excluding Jeffery’s release). Here are a series of moves they can make to fully erase the remaining debt.
The obvious choice
The Eagles approached Alshon Jeffery and Malik Jackson a few weeks ago and were able to restructure their contracts to make it easier for them. In addition, the team can designate two players per year as a post-01/06 launch. saving even more coverage space.
Jeffery’s release is imminent after a roller coaster ride, but Jackson’s status is still in the air. The team may be able to negotiate the defensive tackle after a 2020 campaign that was filled with flashes of potential. Otherwise, they have a strong contingency plan in place.
If they released Jeffery and Jackson early in the league year, they would save about $ 8.9 million. By designating both players as a post-01/06 launch, that number rises to $ 21 million.
Salary limit: – $ 16M
Eagles say goodbye to an earlier choice of the first round
I like Derek Barnett, yes. But I like to save another $ 10 million. After the Eagles chose their fifth year option last year, Barnett needed to prove that not only was the next price worthwhile, but also a possible extension of contract beyond it. He didn’t do that.
If you had to give $ 10 million to Josh Sweat or Derek Barnett tomorrow, who would you choose? If you answered DB, I am a little concerned.
Barnett’s argument has always been that he joined the league much younger than most and, even now, is only 24 years old. He has also been an NFL DE since 2017 and has failed to prove that he is the key to replacing Brandon Graham when the time comes, which is exactly why he was drafted.
Barnett’s 5.5 bags were unable to beat his 6.5 total in 2019, and despite an additional spin movement in his arsenal, there simply isn’t enough to justify a $ 10 million hit.
The good news is that Barnett has some intrinsic commercial value and the cap does not change, regardless of how your exit unfolds. Whether for some draft compensation, a plug-and-play veteran elsewhere, or a simple launch, the Eagles need to be smart here.
Maximum salary: – $ 6 million
The writing on the wall for Eagles TE Zach Ertz
This should be pretty obvious, but the Eagles will earn a savings of $ 4.7 million by separating from the tight end they seem to have disconnected from emotionally.
This is not the end of Zach Ertz’s term that no one expected or wanted, but it could be all that remained after Roseman refused to pay for Stanford’s product before the 2020 season, leading to a visibly frustrated and discouraged manner. Ertz ended his year with an exciting press conference, in which it was clear how much it all meant to him.
It’s a real shame and it should never have come to that, but saving $ 4.7 million out of Ertz will bring the Eagles a step closer to the security of the salary cap.
Maximum salary: – $ 1.3 million
Surprise!
Not only is WR Marquise Goodwin still on the list, but he will have $ 4.4 million of capitalization space in 2021 … for now. After understandably staying out of the 2020 season, Goodwin watched as the attack plunged into a position that needed to be fully rebuilt.
Their services may be valuable for what is now a young receiving body, but $ 4.4 million may be worth more.
Maximum salary: + $ 3.1 million
Eagles Restructuring Candidates
The elephant in the room is always the idea that Roseman will approach a player on whom he has already launched a real money printer and then very politely ask for part of it back. This could be the case with the biggest contracts on the list, with Fletcher Cox being an obvious candidate … but the advantage is small. However, there are two noteworthy names.
Lane Johnson and Brandon Brooks are coming out of injuries at the end of the season. Rodney McLeod tore his ACL in 2018 and his restructuring pretty much wiped out his $ 9.9 million grand prize. While neither Johnson nor Brooks are likely to see such a drastic blow due to their impact on attack and importance to a new QB, the Eagles could very easily save a few extra millions from any contract through some ingenious restructuring efforts by GM Howie Roseman.
Maximum salary: + 8M
Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire photo
Liam is a 25-year-old sports journalist from the United Kingdom and founder of the Philly Sports Network. In just five years, he turned a hobby into one of the fastest growing Philadelphia sports sites in the world, accumulating 7,000,000 views and writing more than 3,000 articles. Drawing the attention of companies like CSN, NJ.Com and Bleacher Report in the process, Liam is determined to forever change the way Philadelphia sports teams are reported.
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