Antonio Brown Reiterates Trade Demand; Latest On Bell, Shazier
For the past few weeks, it feels like we have been getting daily reports on the Antonio Brown saga in Pittsburgh, and the last several rumors we have heard on the matter have suggested that both sides may be open to continuing their relationship.
But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports paints quite a different picture. He says that Brown has recently reiterated his trade demands via agent Drew Rosenhaus, and that Brown has refused to return calls from club owner Art Rooney II. Meanwhile, JLC reports that Brown has told his Pittsburgh teammates that he will never play for the Steelers again.
Brown has three years and $39MM left on his current contract, and despite this falling out with the Steelers, almost every team in the league would be happy to have him. He would prefer to be dealt to the 49ers, but the Steelers reportedly have no intention of allowing Brown to pursue a trade on his own. Instead, Pittsburgh will control the process, and team brass plans to talk to potential trade partners at the scouting combine in a few weeks. The Steelers of course prefer to trade Brown to an NFC club, and they will not deal him to one of their bigger AFC rivals. They also still hope to get at least a first-round pick for him.
Meanwhile, La Canfora writes that the Steelers still plan to put the transition tag on Le’Veon Bell, who sat out the entire 2018 season. That is in keeping with what we have been hearing for months, but it obviously does not mean that Bell will be back in Pittsburgh. It will simply be the precursor to a tag-and-trade scenario, and JLC names the Jets and Eagles as potential destinations. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirms that the Steelers are contemplating the transition tag, and he even suggests that Bell could return to the Steelers, but that is difficult to fathom at this point.
Finally, La Canfora confirms what we have recently heard with respect to Ryan Shazier. Shazier’s rookie contract is up, and the team has indicated that it plans to re-sign him even though there is no chance he will be able to play in 2019, if ever. JLC says the two sides are working on a one-year pact, and that it will not take long for that to come to fruition.
Eagles Seeking Third-Round Pick For Foles
The Eagles are expected to place the franchise tag on backup quarterback Nick Foles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes. That doesn’t make the Super Bowl champion any more likely to return to the team, however, as Philadelphia will seek a third-round pick for his services in a trade. 
Before that tag is used, the Eagles are expected to pick up Foles’ $20MM option next week. The quarterback then will have the opportunity to void the option by paying the team $2MM, which he is expected to do. The Eagles would then be expected to place the tag on Foles, allowing them to trade him to another team.
The long chain of events will culminate with the Super Bowl MVP more than likely suiting up for another team in 2019, assuming the Eagles can find a suitor willing to pay up for Foles. Several teams are expected to be interested in the six-year veteran, including the Jaguars, Redskins and Dolphins. With the process of events, Foles will likely have his choice on his landing spot.
Foles burst on the scene late in 2017, filling in for an injured Carson Wentz and powering the Eagles to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots, the team’s first-ever Super Bowl title. He followed up that performance by again taking the reins from a sidelined Wentz and propelling the Eagles to an improbable run to the postseason and a spot in the divisional round after knocking off the Bears in the wild-card round.
Eagles Add To Offensive Staff
- The Eagles will swap out assistant offensive line coaches. After Eugene Chung‘s contract expired, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro notes the Eagles will hire Roy Istvan to replace him. Istvan will come all the way up from the NAIA level, having coached most recently at Florida’s Keiser University. However, he spent time with Philadelphia offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland in the distant past, playing for Stoutland at Southern Connecticut in the 1980s and then breaking into coaching during Stoutland’s stay as that program’s OC. This will be Istvan’s first NFL job.
Eagles To Pick Up Nick Foles’ Option?
It appears the Eagles are still trying to see if they can acquire better value for Nick Foles than a compensatory pick. They are now likely to pick up his $20MM option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link).
If the Eagles passed on this option, Foles would be a free agent. However, even if Philadelphia exercises this option, the sides are expected to still part ways. Foles has a $2MM buyout avenue to free himself from this option, and, per Rapoport, that is his expected move if Philly goes this route.
Should Foles give the team $2MM to buy out the option, the Eagles are also believed to be considering the franchise tag, RapSheet adds. This would open the door to the Eagles trading Foles, which has been on the radar for a bit now, and Rapoport adds the parties could be set to work in concert to send the Super Bowl LII MVP to a destination that makes sense.
Tag-and-trade scenarios are rare. The Patriots executed this 10 years ago, sending their backup quarterback, Matt Cassel, to the Chiefs. Like Cassel and the Chiefs in the 2009 offseason, Foles and his new team — in the event this scenario occurs — would be expected to work out a new contract. Foles would sign his tag immediately to trigger a trade, per Rapoport.
Several teams are in need of starting quarterbacks. The Jaguars, Redskins and the Dolphins could be the prime suitors for a veteran like Foles. Miami, however, may not be what Foles is seeking, the team being expected to target a 2020 quarterback prospect. A trade may rule out the Redskins, too. Though the Eagles previously traded Donovan McNabb to their rivals, they would likely avoid an intra-NFC East trade here. Although they may be more interested in Joe Flacco, the Jags have discussed Foles. Jacksonville may be the leading candidate to pursue this, cap issues notwithstanding.
Teams like the Broncos and Giants, with Pat Shurmur having coached Foles in Philadelphia, make sense too. But those franchises would seemingly be closer to drafting a first-round passer instead of bringing in another veteran.
The Eagles could land a third-round 2020 compensatory pick for Foles, in the event he buys his way out of this and no tag-and-trade path comes to fruition. That appears to be the Eagles’ value floor for Foles.
Eagles Rodney McLeod Takes Big Pay Cut
The details are in on Rodney McLeod’s reworked deal with the Eagles. McLeod’s 2019 base salary will drop from $7.5MM to $1.5MM under the revised terms, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In total, the move creates $7.469MM in new cap room for Philly. 
Under the old terms of his deal, McLeod’s contract meant that he was likely a goner in Philadelphia. McLeod has been a starter since the 2013 season and started the first three games of 2018 for the Eagles, but a knee injury ended his season in September. Given the Eagles’ limited cap room and the awful market for free agent safeties over the last year, McLeod probably didn’t have much leverage in this round of negotiations with Howie Roseman & Co.
On the plus side, McLeod has done well for himself over the course of his career. He joined the Eagles on a five-year, $35MM deal prior to the 2016 season and is still young enough to cash in again down the line. He’ll turn 29 in June, just before training camp begins for his eighth NFL season.
Eagles Rework S Rodney McLeod’s Contract
The Eagles have agreed to rework Rodney McLeod‘s contract, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
McLane doesn’t have details on the revised contract yet, but he notes that it’ll keep him with the team for 2019. As McLane wrote in a follow-up tweet, a lot of people thought the team might move on from McLeod this offseason, but this move apparently guarantees his return. His cap number had been set to be $9.9MM for this year, although that’s presumably been reduced.
McLeod signed a deal that went through the 2020 season back in 2016, but he tore his ACL in Week 3 of this year. McLeod signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent back in 2012, and blossomed into a nice player in St. Louis. His strong play landed him a five-year, $37MM deal with Philly.
McLeod is a key part of the defense and his injury was a large part of the reason the Eagles’ secondary collapsed this year, so it’s not surprising they figured out a way to keep him.
Eagles Re-Sign LB Paul Worrilow
Paul Worrilow‘s ACL tear nixed his debut season with the Eagles, but he will have a chance to make a second impression.
The Eagles and Worrilow agreed to terms on another one-year deal Wednesday. Worrilow signed a one-year pact with Philadelphia last year but suffered the season-nullifying knee injury in May.
This may not lock Worrilow into a surefire role with the 2019 Eagles, but this helps the team keep some experience around for depth purposes. A three-year Falcons starter who saw eight first-string appearances with the 2017 Lions, Worrilow joins Nigel Bradham as an experienced option in Philly. Should Worrilow bounce back and be part of the Eagles’ linebacking corps in 2019, it will be his age-29 season
Jordan Hicks is a free agent, and the Eagles’ cap situation is the NFL’s worst at present. The team is projected to be well over the 2019 salary ceiling, so big-ticket expenditures will be difficult. Young talents Kamu Grugier-Hill (10 2018 starts) and converted safety Nate Gerry are also under contract for 2019.
Matt Burke To Land With Eagles
- Former Dolphins DC Matt Burke will land on the Eagles‘ staff, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Burke succeeded Vance Joseph as Miami’s DC and held the job for two seasons, both of which ending with the Fins being among the worst at preventing points.
Tim Jernigan On Eagles' Roster Bubble?
- The Eagles signed Timmy Jernigan to a four-year, $48MM extension late in the 2017 season. But the reigning Super Bowl champs may be experiencing buyer’s remorse. Jernigan ($13MM cap hit in 2019) will not be back in Philly without a restructure, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes. The Eagles would have to eat a $6MM dead-money charge by releasing the defensive tackle but would gain $7MM in cap savings. This marks the NFL’s worst cap situation, with the Eagles more than $14MM over the projected salary ceiling.
Chris Long Wants To Keep Playing
- Eagles defensive end Chris Long has flirted with retirement in the past, but he wants to keep playing, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’d like to play football in 2019. I thought I had a strong year and felt good physically. Listen, I know I’m an older guy. But, you know, I don’t think I’ve missed a practice over the last two years. I feel like I’ve been durable and ready when called upon”, Long told a Philly radio station. He did leave the door open for a possible retirement still, saying he still “could go either way”, depending on “what the Eagles do and who they bring in or don’t bring in and how deep that room gets.” Long had 6.5 sacks this season, his highest total since 2013.