Philadelphia Eagles Free Agents: What Will It Take to Keep Key Eagles?
Before the Philadelphia Eagles make it to free agency, they must first take care of their own. With a couple of key players about to hit the market themselves and several young players deserving of extensions, the front office has plenty of work to do before March rolls around.
The good news is money shouldn’t be an issue. As we reviewed earlier in the week, the Eagles are in excellent shape, operating under the salary cap as usual.
It’s not always as simple as throwing money at a problem, though. Players, especially impending free agents, have their own ideas about their value, and the exact dollar amount isn’t always cut and dry.
Fortunately, most of the Eagles’ free agents in 2015 aren’t worth the trouble, but there are two in particular who the team would be wise to re-sign. Then, it’s on to trying to lock up some quality, young players entering the final year of their rookie contracts for the long haul before they reach the same uncertain stage.
Jeremy Maclin
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With DeSean Jackson out of the picture, Jeremy Maclin finally had the opportunity to play the role of feature receiver, and he did not disappoint. Maclin set new personal bests with 85 receptions and 1,318 yards in addition to matching his career high of 10 touchdowns.
Maclin is a No. 1 receiver now, arguably deserving an invitation to the Pro Bowl. He doesn’t possess elite size or speed—although he’s not tiny and slow, either—but has a well-rounded skill set that fits perfectly in Philadelphia’s offense.
We’re certainly not looking at Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald money, and even anything north of $10 million per year is a tad high. A better barometer for what Maclin should get offered would be the deals the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings awarded Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings, respectively.
That means four or five years at an average cost between $9 and $10 million. That pays Maclin like the No. 1 he is, but not quite in the top players at his position, which sounds about right.
Brandon Graham
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Here’s what we know, thanks to Derrick Gunn for CSNPhilly.com: The Eagles have already offered Brandon Graham a four-year contract that averages $6.2 million per year with $11 million guaranteed. Graham is said to be looking for four years and around $30 million—an average of $7.5 million—with $20 million guaranteed.
The two sides aren’t terribly far off when you really begin to dissect it, but one area Graham may have to settle for less in is guarantees. Only 12 defensive ends and outside linebackers in the NFL received $20 million or more in guaranteed money on their current contracts. Does Graham belong in the conversation with the best pass-rushers in the league?
Not quite. Graham had a great year considering he still platooned with Trent Cole at outside linebacker, notching a career-high 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. That doesn’t get you DeMarcus Ware money, though.
The reality is if Graham hits the open market, the bidding could get out of control, as pass-rushers are always in demand. However, if the Eagles can convince him to be a little more reasonable about that figure, maybe in the $16 to $17 million range the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts handed Terrell Suggs and Robert Mathis, respectively, maybe something can get worked out.
Fletcher Cox
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Fletcher Cox may have been snubbed in Pro Bowl voting, but he received an even higher honor when the defensive end was named second-team All-Pro. Not that Cox needed the accolade—his own head coach called him the Eagles’ most valuable player, via a press conference carried on PhiladelphiaEagles.com in December.
That won’t make negotiating a long-term extension any easier, but Cox was heading for an expensive deal regardless. The 12th pick overall from the 2012 draft has demonstrated he can be a force in any scheme, in addition to being the pillar of Philadelphia’s defense for years to come.
Ends in 3-4 schemes typically don’t make top dollar, J.J. Watt being the obvious exception to the rule. That being said, if you look at a guy like Calais Campbell for the Arizona Cardinals, who finally received his long-overdue first trip to the Pro Bowl this year, Cox could still do very well for himself.
Campbell’s deal for five years pays him an average of $11 million per season and came with $17 million guaranteed. Campbell is a bit of a freak, too, at 6’8”, 300 pounds, and does some things Cox can’t with respect to batting passes, but the next closest comparison financially is Jurrell Casey for the Tennessee Titans at four years, $9 million, $20 million guaranteed. Expect Cox to fall between that range.
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Mychal Kendricks
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The most versatile player on Philadelphia’s defense, Mychal Kendricks has become an underrated playmaker for the Birds. In 27 games over the past two seasons, he’s registered 189 tackles, 8.0 sacks, seven pass breakups, three interceptions and five forced fumbles. Imagine if he could stay healthy for a full 16 games.
That may compel Kendricks to wait to become a free agent in 2016 if the Eagles try to shortchange him on a potential contract extension this offseason, but I think the team has seen enough to know what it has is for real. Kendricks should be patrolling the middle of the field for Philly for years to come, so what’s it going to take?
Kendricks is a dynamic linebacker who can play the run, rush the passer or drop into coverage in the mold of Daryl Washington for the Arizona Cardinals, although not quite as accomplished. A 2012 Pro Bowler, Washington signed a four-year deal worth $8 million per year before his unfortunate year-long suspension.
I doubt Kendricks would see quite those types of numbers, but something in the $6-7 million range annually isn’t out of the question. Whether that’s enough to entice him to re-sign this offseason will be the question, but the price tag seems fair.
Nick Foles
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A lot of people may find it curious Nick Foles would be on this list, as there is a feeling around Philadelphia the team is not content with him as the starting quarterback. That may in fact be the case, but the issue is that upgrading will prove challenging, and Foles is likely back at the helm in 2015.
Assuming Foles is the guy for the time being, there are a number of reasons why it might make sense to work out some sort of short-term extension now.
To not extend him shows the locker room and potential free agents a lack of faith in the quarterback’s ability to win. If Foles returns to something resembling his 2014 form, he’ll be in a much better bargaining position as he heads into free agency next year. And even if Foles isn’t the guy forever, he may retain some trade value in the future, which the Eagles can only do if they own his rights.
What he deserves exactly is where things get tricky. There was a lot of thinking that the expensive, long-term deals the San Francisco 49ers handed Colin Kaepernick and the Cincinnati Bengals awarded Andy Dalton in turn would set the template, but you have to wonder if their performances this year may have killed the golden goose for QBs on the fringe.
Yet Dalton’s deal especially might provide more of a blueprint than you think. While it's a six-year deal worth a total of $96 million on paper, Dalton was really only locked in for the first two years at just over $9 million per year. At any point after 2015, the Bengals can get out from under that deal if they really desire.
It’s still hard to imagine Foles coming away with some sort of long-term deal pushing $100 million, even if the numbers aren’t necessarily real, but a similarly constructed three- or four-year deal isn’t out of the question. Foles may not be the most desirable option, but there appears to be no good alternative at this time, so the team might as well start planning for the future.
All contract numbers courtesy of Spotrac.
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