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May 04, 2024

A look at the Eagles' rookie salary cap numbers, and the money needed to sign them

New DBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are estimated to make nearly $4.4 million combined in 2024.

Eagles NFL
050324QuinyonMitchell Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

First-round rookie DB Quinyon Mitchell.

One of the better changes that came out of the NFL's 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement was the pre-determined salary cap numbers of all rookie draft picks, which was designed to nearly eliminate rookie holdouts. It has succeeded.

Before the 2024 NFL Draft even began, salary cap numbers were already in place for every draft slot, from pick No. 1, which became Caleb Williams, to pick No. 257, Jaylen Key. Below are the Eagles' estimated rookie salary cap numbers for the next four years, using resources from OverTheCap.com

We'll also use this page as something of a rookie signing tracker, checking off each player who has signed with a ✔️, as it happens.

Player 2024 2025 2026 2027 
CB Quinyon Mitchell ✔️$2,694,198$3,367,748$4,041,298$4,714,848
DB Cooper DeJean ✔️  $1,687,930  $2,109,913 $2,531,896  $2,953,879 
EDGE Jalyx Hunt ✔️ $1,024,189 $1,280,236 $1,536,283  $1,792,330 
RB Will Shipley ✔️$974,241 $1,139,241 $1,254,241  $1,369,241 
WR Ainias Smith ✔️$878,574 $1,043,574 $1,158,574 $1,273,574 
LB Jeremiah Trotter ✔️$877,117 $1,042,117 $1,157,117 $1,272,117 
OL Trevor Keegan ✔️$858,569 $1,023,569 $1,138,569 $1,253,569 
WR Johnny Wilson ✔️$844,252 $1,009,252 $1,124,252 $1,239,252 
OL Dylan McMahon ✔️$841,525 $1,006,525 $1,121,525 $1,236,525 

During the 2027 offseason, the Eagles will also have the opportunity to exercise their fifth-year option on Mitchell for the 2028 season.

Only nerds should bother reading further 🤓

If you add up all the money in the "2024" column, the total estimated rookie pool for the Eagles' draft class is $10,680,595. So will they need $10,680,595 in cap space to sign all their rookies, right? Nah, it doesn't quite work like that. During the offseason until final cutdowns, the NFL only counts the top 51 earning players on the roster toward the salary cap. Only Mitchell and DeJean will replace players above the "top 51" line of demarcation, so to speak. 

As you'll see on OverTheCap's Eagles page, there are a bunch of players at the back end of the top 51 who will count for a little over $1,000,000 against the cap this year. In other words, you would add up the cap numbers for Mitchell and DeJean, and subtract the cap numbers of the two players just above the 51-man demarcation. That number gives you the extra cap space the Eagles would need to sign their entire slate of draft picks. 

I'll save you the work. It's $2,318,593. The Eagles currently have over $31 million in cap space, according to the NFLPA public daily salary cap report, so, you know, they'll have no problems signing all of their rookie draft picks, and will likely get that done sooner than later.


MORE: Eagles draft grade roundup


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