February 03, 2016
Over the last few weeks, the Eagles have been busy taking care of their own, signing Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Lane Johnson and Vinny Curry to new contracts that will keep them in Philly for the long haul.
Curry was the Eagles' top immediate 2016 free agent to be. Ertz, Celek, and Johnson, however, all had a year left on their deals, with the semi-exception of Johnson, who could have been retained by the Eagles in 2017 if they exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but with the Eagles prioritizing deals for Ertz, Celek, and Johnson, it's worth taking a look at the remaining 2017 free agents to be, and their standing with the team.
Cox would seemingly love to get a massive contract extension done, and the Eagles would like to lock him up long term, then build their defense around him. Unfortunately for Cox, however, the Eagles have far more leverage. Back in April of 2015, the Eagles exercised Cox's fifth-year option, which means that Cox is scheduled to make $7,799,000 in 2016, a figure that is far south of what Cox would be worth on the open market.
If the Eagles and Cox are unable to work out a contract extension this offseason, Cox will have to play out the 2016 season for a fraction of what he's worth, while also risking serious injury. And it won't end there.
If at the end of the 2016 season, if Cox remains intact and is the same dominant player he was in 2015, the Eagles can simply slap the franchise tag on him in 2017, which will likely be right in the same ballpark as what Cox would make on a per year basis on the open market.
In other words, the average of Cox's fifth-year option in 2016 and his franchise tag amount in 2017 will fall far below what Cox would make on a per year basis with a new deal. While the Eagles would love to lock up Cox long term and keep him happy, they will feel no pressure whatsoever if Cox's camp is asking for some kind of unrealistic, exorbitant payday.
Jenkins is unlike the other Eagles players already mentioned in this post, in that he was not drafted by the Eagles. Speaking at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama last week, Howie Roseman pointed out that the Eagles place a higher value on players they've drafted. Emphasis mine:
"It’s an important message to your team that if you play really well and do the right things, and that you’re drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, you have a chance to stay for a long time," said Roseman.
Does that make Jenkins an outsider of sorts? In my view, Jenkins has become a valued leader and player. Who cares if the team didn't draft him? If Jenkins fits Jim Schwartz's scheme, and I believe Malcolm Jenkins can fit any scheme, then he should be as much of a signing priority as Ertz, Celek, or Johnson, especially since we've seen how hard it is to find quality safeties.
Chatter on a new contract for Bennie Logan has been quiet, but he will enter 2016 on the final year of his rookie deal. Logan showed in the preseason and early during the 2015 regular season that he can be a penetrating force along the line of scrimmage. To be determined if Jim Schwartz and the Eagles' brass see Logan as less of a fit in Schwartz's attacking 4-3 scheme.
Some would argue that Sproles was the Eagles' best weapon in 2015 if you include his value on special teams.
Whenever opposing teams have been dumb enough to punt to Sproles, he has made them pay. For the second straight year, Sproles had two punt return touchdowns. Without his punt return TD against the Jets, the Eagles probably don't win that game. Against the Patriots, Sproles helped put the game out of reach with a punt return TD in a game that was decided by seven points. He is a legitimate difference maker who often factors in heavily to the overall results of games with enormous plays.
In our weekly Eagles chat, Sproles' name came up several times as a potential cap casualty. I don't see that at all. Sproles may be 32 years old, but clearly he can still play. He'll count for $4,500,000 against the cap in 2016, with a savings of $3,500,000 if the Eagles cut or trade him. If the Eagles don't see themselves as Super Bowl contenders in 2016 and some team comes calling with a trade offer involving a draft pick, then sure, go ahead and build for the future. But to cut him and get zilch in return? No.
Ryans is by far the toughest call to make this offseason. For me, anyway. On the one hand, Jordan Hicks looks very much like the real deal in the middle of the Eagles' defense. It would be crazy to play Ryans over him. On the other hand, Ryans is the most respected player in the locker room, and any staff would value his leadership. The question that comes into play here is, "Can you lead if you don't play?" And can you pay a backup "locker room guy" $4.5 million?
If the Eagles cut or trade Ryans, they can save $3,500,000. I'm not sure anyone would trade for his contract, which could force a tough decision for the Eagles. Either way, it feels doubtful that Ryans will be with the team beyond this upcoming season.
Alonso is a smaller linebacker who could struggle against the run if Jim Schwartz plans on utilizing a lot of wide nine looks. During locker room clean-out day after the conclusion of the season, Alonso was asked if he has ever played OLB in a 4-3 defense.
"When Schwartz came into Buffalo last year that's probably where I was probably going to be, but obviously, I missed the whole season," said Alonso. When asked if he ever played in a 4-3, Alonso simply said, "No."
Alonso will count for just under a million bucks this season. He's certainly worth at least that. Don't expect to Eagles to cut him or extend him, but if a team came with an offer for a pick, by all means, pull the trigger.
Update: A commenter (Kelce's Beard 2.0) made a correct point that because Alonso missed the 2014 season on the NFI list (Non-football injury), he did not accrue the necessary four years of service in the NFL to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season. He will become a restricted free agent instead, and can be retained cheaply by the Eagles at that time if they decide they want to keep him around.
If the Eagles release Mark Sanchez this offseason, they can save $3,500,000. They should do that.
Pay him whatever he wants. Jeffrey Lurie should just give him the team, in my opinion.
The rest of the Eagles' 2017 free agents can be found here.
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