Eagles Hope To Extend Vaitai
- The Eagles extended guard Isaac Seumalo earlier today, and they might not be done locking up offensive linemen. The “expectation” is that Philly “will attempt to extend OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai this offseason”, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Vaitai was the Eagles’ fifth round pick in 2016, and has been a backup tackle for them ever since. In 2017, he filled in for Jason Peters at left tackle and started the entire second half of the season plus the playoffs. Peters is 37 now, and his status for 2019 is still unclear. It’s very possible that the Eagles view Vaitai as the successor to Peters on Carson Wentz‘s blindside.
Eagles Not Interested In Antonio Brown
Brown’s latest comments are a ploy to get the Steelers to release him, opines Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Following up on additional speculation that the Steelers may be forced to just release Brown, Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Steelers “will never cut him,” and would rather trade him for a conditional seventh round pick than let Brown win. The latest report has the Eagles and Raiders as strong players in a potential Brown trade.
- Add the Eagles to the list of teams that won’t be trading for Brown, according to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). A league source told Berman the Eagles “do not have interest.” The Eagles aren’t in the AFC and have shown a willingness to make bold, splashy moves so it seemed like a potential fit, but they apparently aren’t interested. Philly has also been linked to another soon-to-be former Steeler, Le’Veon Bell.
Jason La Canfora On Brown, Steelers, Eagles
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in two years, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com gets the sense than an extension will be struck before its expiration, which would mean no strike or lockout. One high-ranking league source tells JLC that a deal could even be reached prior to the start of the 2020 season, though an NFLPA source cautioned that things are still in their infancy.
Here’s more from JLC:
- The Raiders and Eagles are the team’s to keep an eye on in the sweepstakes for Steelers star Antonio Brown, JLC hears. The Titans, he says, have nothing going on with the Steelers right now and the Redskins’ front office is divided on AB, even as owner Dan Snyder pushes for a deal. The Saints and Seahawks also discussed AB internally, but don’t appear to be moving forward with the pursuit.
- Talent evaluators tell JLC that they are iffy on the talent of this year’s wide receiver class. “You might as well trade for AB or OBJ, because this is a bad draft for receivers,” one exec said. “I don’t care who ran what, this is not a good group.” JLC asked that particular exec about extraordinary athlete D.K. Metcalf as well, but he was not impressed by his fluidity or natural catching ability.
Eagles To Decline Timmy Jernigan’s Option
Timmy Jernigan signed a four-year, $48MM extension late in the 2017 season. The Eagles are cutting bait after that deal’s first season.
The Eagles will not pick up the defensive tackle’s option, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). This was rumored to be in the works, and it will save the team $7MM. However, because of the early dismissal, the Eagles will eat $6MM in dead money.
After missing a chunk of last season because of an offseason injury, Jernigan will not head to the market with much steam. The Ravens traded him to the Eagles in 2017, and he performed well enough the eventual Super Bowl champions authorized a high-end extension. Jernigan played just 100 snaps last season, suiting up for just three regular-season games.
Howie Roseman has been busy recently, having authorized a new deal for Brandon Graham and extended Jason Kelce and Isaac Seumalo. The Eagles, who entered the day with barely $4MM in cap space, are also shopping Michael Bennett and his $7.2MM salary. Jernigan would have made $11MM in base salary next season.
Eagles Extend G Isaac Seumalo
Another Eagles extension is on tap. The team reached an agreement on a three-year contract with Isaac Seumalo, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The three-year add-on, which will lock him down through the 2022 season, will give him roughly $17MM in new money with about $12.6MM guaranteed, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
The Seumalo re-up follows Jason Kelce‘s, which came after the Eagles’ decision to keep Brandon Graham in the fold long-term. Seumalo became a full-time starter last season, grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 overall guard in his nine regular-season starts. This move shows the Eagles believe the 25-year-old Hawaiian can sustain the momentum.
This will not do much to help Philly’s cap situation, with Seumalo’s rookie deal calling for a $939K cap figure. But it will allow Philly to retain its youngest offensive line starter. Two of Seumalo’s line mates are north of 30, in Kelce and Jason Peters, and the other two starters — Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson — are in their late 20s. Philly’s line now has five starters on veteran deals.
Seumalo did not develop quickly, as has been the case with numerous linemen who have come into the league under a CBA that cut back on practice time compared to prior agreements, having been benched in 2017. The Oregon State product served as a backup for the Eagles’ Super Bowl edition. His gradual emergence stands to help an Eagles team that employs one of the oldest offensive line starting fives in the game.
Eagles Shopping Michael Bennett
After re-signing Brandon Graham via three-year, $40MM deal, the Eagles are gauging the market for Michael Bennett. A year after trading for the longtime Seahawks stalwart, Philadelphia discussed possible deals that would send the veteran defensive end elsewhere, Geoff Mosher of Patreon.com notes.
Graham’s return preserves the Eagles’ surplus at defensive end, and Philly.com’s Jeff McLane adds Derek Barnett will be penciled in as the other starter. Bennett was unhappy being a second-stringer to start last season, per McLane.
It is not yet certain if Philly will retain Chris Long, but the team’s two-deep depth chart here is among the strongest position groups in the NFL. However, the Eagles do not have much to spend this offseason, especially after bringing back Graham. Philadelphia holds just more than $4MM in cap space as of Monday. A Bennett trade would clear $7.2MM off the Eagles’ books. No guaranteed money remains on the versatile 33-year-old defender’s deal, which runs through 2020.
Philadelphia gave up a fifth-round pick to acquire Bennett from Seattle last year, and he delivered yet another quality campaign. Bennett registered nine sacks, tying the second-most he’s recorded in a season, and graded as a top-25 edge defender via Pro Football Focus.
With nickel sets so prominent in today’s game, Bennett obviously still has a place on the Eagles as an inside rusher. But he could help another team’s line and save Philly critical cash as well. And with the top free agent veteran edge defenders being franchise-tagged, Bennett’s market could be interesting, given his production and affordable deal.
Eagles Notes: Kelce, Sudfeld
- After flirting with retirement, Eagles center Jason Kelce ended up signing an extension with the team today. We now have details on the extension, as the new deal will make Kelce the highest paid center in the league, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport notes that the remaining three years on KElce’s contract will now pay him an average of $11MM per year. Kelce received Pro Football Focus’ top grade among all centers, so it makes sense why he’s being paid like it. Kelce is 31 now, and should have at least a couple more years left at an elite level.
- The Eagles plan on having backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld back in camp next year coach Doug Pederson said from the combine, according to Les Bowen of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Sirius XM’s NFL Insider Adam Caplan tweeted in response that Sudfeld, who is a restricted free agent, is an “interesting player who could draw strong interest from other teams if they use the low tender.” Pederson did say that the team doesn’t “just go around and give out jobs,” but they wanted Sudfeld to compete to be Carson Wentz‘s backup. Assuming another team doesn’t steal him away with an offer sheet, it sounds like Sudfeld should slide in and replace Nick Foles as the primary backup in Philly.
Eagles Sign C Jason Kelce To Extension
Jason Kelce won’t be retiring after all. The Eagles announced that they’ve agreed to a one-year extension with the veteran offensive center.
Kelce is now under contract through 2021, and Adam Caplan tweets that the lineman will make around $11MM per season (making Kelce the highest-paid center in the NFL). As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the 31-year-old was set to have a cap hit of $6.5MM next season.
Following the Eagles’ Divisional Round loss to the Saints, Kelce hinted that he may end up retiring, with the lineman telling reporters that he had actually considered retiring during each of the past couple seasons. Today’s extension means Kelce’s contract now lasts through the 2021 season, but it doesn’t sound like the veteran will stick around that long. Rather, today’s deal is basically a commitment by Kelce to return for the 2019 campaign.
The 2011 sixth-round pick has spent his entire NFL career with Philly, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods. Kelce earned his second-straight First-Team All-Pro accolade this past season, and it was also the fourth-straight year that the lineman started all 16 games for the Eagles. Kecle also ranked first among Pro Football Focus‘ ranking of 38 eligible centers, the second-straight season he’s finished atop the list.
Eagles, Brandon Graham Agree To Extension
Brandon Graham isn’t reaching the open market after all. On Friday, the Eagles agreed to a new three-year deal with the defensive end that will pay him $40MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
It’s a solid payday for Graham, who will bank north of $13MM per season on average. Meanwhile, he has a real chance to retire in Philadelphia. Graham will celebrate his 31st birthday in April, and the Eagles can safely focus on areas other than the pass rush later in the month.
Earlier this offseason, Graham indicated that he would probably test the open market rather than inking a new deal with Philadelphia before March. However, the Eagles came to the table with a deal that made sense for the veteran.
“I love Philly but I owe it to myself and my family to explore free agency,” Graham said in January. “I’m in the business of doing what’s best for my family. I need to explore the market.”
Graham, who’s been with the Eagles since 2010, inked a four-year deal with Philly in 2015. He’s discussed a potential extension on numerous occasions with the Eagles since then, but a fresh deal never came to fruition until now. The Eagles added extra incentives to his pact heading into the 2017 campaign, but did not otherwise amend his deal over the past four years.
Graham would have drawn serious interest in the open market, but he also would have been going up against a stacked free agent edge defenders group. Players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dee Ford, and Trey Flowers are all candidates for the franchise tag, but Graham got enough money to bypass the hassle of free agency and stay with the only NFL team he’s ever known.
Graham’s last deal paid him $6.5MM annually, so the new contract represents a substantial pay bump. While his sack total dipped to just four in 2018, Graham still managed to affect rival passers by generating 33.5 quarterback pressures and 11 quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus graded Graham as the league’s ninth-best edge defender last season, assigning him exemplary marks in both run and pass defense.
Nelson Agholor On Trade Block
- The Eagles are finally under the projected cap, but they are still floating Nelson Agholor‘s name as a trade option at the Combine, La Canfora writes. The 2015 first-round pick’s salary is set to spike to $9.4MM. Although Philadelphia is not going through with its Foles tag-and-trade plan, taking a $25MM cap hold off the books, Agholor’s salary will still affect a team with just $6MM in cap space. Only the Jaguars hold less.