The Philadelphia Eagles have been active in contract negotiations within the last week, locking up tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek to multi-year deals totalling more than $55 million. They also extended offensive tackle Lane Johnson on a $63 million deal that will pay him more guaranteed money than any right tackle in the NFL.
With $12.696 million in remaining cap space, per Spotrac, the Eagles have some very tough decisions to make regarding their free-agent players. They can still cut a few players, saving more cap space, but it’s obvious that the Eagles are strapped for cap space.
Below I will highlight each player on the team and whether the Eagles should bring them back for 2016 and beyond. The projected contract is listed below the players I think the Eagles will bring back, and the amount is what I think the Eagles will do, not necessarily what I would do.
Sam Bradford, QB
No decision for the Eagles is tougher than whether the team should bring back Sam Bradford. I’ve spent countless hours poring over the pros and cons of re-signing the former number one overall pick. You know them all already, but I’ll just throw out some of the key points.
To start with, I think Sam Bradford is the definition of mediocre. He’s boring. He’s spent six seasons in the NFL. He’s been hurt four of the last five seasons. He’s never led a team to a winning record. No team quarterbacked by Sam Bradford has ever scored 40 points in a game. He’s never thrown for 400 yards or four touchdowns in a game. He’s never won Offensive Player of the Week. His ceiling is unbelievably low, probably much more than most people realize. I almost can’t see a scenario where a team quarterbacked by Bradford wins the Super Bowl. He would need an elite supporting cast or the best defense in the NFL, and neither of those two options is happening anytime soon.
However, I can see a scenario where a team led by Bradford reaches the playoffs. I think his absolute ceiling on any future Eagles team is 11-5. That’s IF he’s surrounded by some top talent and he manages to stay healthy for all 16 games, which he has consistently shown he cannot do. It really depends on what your goal is for the next few seasons. Do you want to be competitive and have a chance to compete for a postseason berth every season? If you do, you bring back Bradford. You don’t bring back Bradford if your ultimate goal is winning a Super Bowl, as it should be. He’s just not good enough, and we’ve seen that year after year, despite the countless excuses and second (and third, and fourth) chances he’s given.
Deciding on Bradford is something the Eagles will need to do before the draft, where they could have their option of one of the consensus three first-round quarterbacks. My ideal scenario with Bradford is to franchise tag him and then trade him, but realistically, that’s a longshot. It’s happened just three times in the last 15 seasons. I don’t like the idea of franchising him. That’s what you do when you have a great player, not what you do when you want to see if a player can become great. I would support the Eagles locking up Bradford on a very team-friendly deal, like the ones given out to Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick.
It won’t be possible, but I would love for the Eagles to have an opt-out clause after every season. Bradford’s agent, however, is notorious for top-level quarterback contracts that lock in the player for multiple seasons with no way of escape. Look at Jay Cutler in Chicago and Tony Romo in Dallas for examples.
Whether the Eagles do or don’t bring back Bradford is likely a decision that will make or break the Doug Pederson era, and possibly the Howie Roseman era, in Philadelphia. We’re at the point where his status for 2016, and beyond, is completely up in the air, but my guess? I think he stays in Philadelphia.
Projected contract: 5 years, $93 million, $44.5 million guaranteed
Thad Lewis, QB
I don’t know why the Eagles would bring back Thad Lewis. Their third-string quarterback in 2015, Lewis hasn’t played a snap since he started five games for the Buffalo Bills in 2013. He’ll be 29 in 2016. To me, any team with a solid backup quarterback like Mark Sanchez (he’s better than you think) should look for that rare diamond in the rough with their number three quarterback, a la Tyrod Taylor. Whether it’s a UDFA or a late-round draft pick, a new face here makes sense.
Seyi Ajirotutu, WR
Seyi Ajirotutu was signed to a one-year deal as a special teams ace despite his almost non-existent lack of production at wide receiver. He caught just one pass all season, and to be honest, I didn’t notice him on special teams as much as I expected. Letting the soon-to-be 29-year-old walk is an easy decision for me.
Matt Tobin, OG
I thought the Eagles had found a diamond in the rough before the 2014 season when Matt Tobin graded out as the best overall offensive lineman in the 2014 preseason (yes, preseason – I know). But in the last two seasons, he’s been very unimpressive. He started 13 games at right guard after Andrew Gardner’s season-ending injury, allowing eight sacks and 31 hurries. Pro Football Focus rated him as the seventh-worst starting guard. Tobin turns 26 this season and should earn a one-year deal somewhere in the NFL as a backup.
David Molk, C
Molk, 26, missed the entire 2015 season with a torn biceps injury. He likely wouldn’t have seen the field much, if at all, as center Jason Kelce played all 16 games. Molk has been with the Eagles for two seasons, but I’d let him leave in free agency and look for a younger option through the draft or free agency.
Vinny Curry, DE
One year ago, it seemed certain that the Eagles would let Vinny Curry leave in free agency following the 2015 season, as his name has repeatedly surfaced in trade talks. But at this point, it makes a lot of sense to bring the 2012 second-round pick back on a multi-year deal. In new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme, which will feature elements of the wide-nine defense, Curry will be arguably the team’s most valuable pass-rusher. He’s homegrown talent, a player who grew up a diehard Eagles fan, and he’ll finally get a chance to succeed in scheme specifically designed for him. The Eagles should definitely bring him back on a contract similar to the one received by Brandon Graham last spring (four years, $26 million, $14 million guaranteed).
Projected contract: 3 years, $25 million, $11 million guaranteed
Cedric Thornton, DT
With the Eagles switching to a 4-3 defense, a difficult decision will need to be made regarding Cedric Thornton, the team’s starter for the last three seasons at 3-4 defensive end. Thornton is virtually invisible as a pass-rusher, and he wasn’t nearly as effective in 2015 as he usually is against the run. The Eagles as a team allowed the most rushing yards in the NFL. The second half of the season, in particular, was a complete disaster. Thornton is more suited as a three-tech defensive tackle, but the future for the Eagles at defensive tackle is Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan. I’d bring back Thornton as a rotational player on a one-year deal, but the guess here is that he joins Chip Kelly in San Francisco. It’s worth noting that Thornton danced around the question of whether he’ll be back when asked several weeks ago.
Najee Goode, LB
Another season, another touchdown for linebacker Najee Goode, whose blocked punt touchdown return helped the Eagles shock the Patriots in their Week 12 clash. Goode, who didn’t make the original 53-man roster, was re-signed early in the season. He played in 14 games, collecting five tackles. I’d bring back Goode on a one-year deal at the minimum salary with little to no guaranteed money, which will allow the Eagles to release him in training cap, if necessary.
Projected contract: 1 year, $550,000
Nolan Carroll, CB
Nolan Carroll might be the toughest decision the Eagles have to make regarding their defensive free agents. I would look to bring him back. He did just turn 29 but he played well in 2015 before a broken ankle ended his season. However, I think 2015 second-round pick Eric Rowe deserves to be the starter alongside veteran Byron Maxwell. With last year’s rookie JaCorey Shepherd likely returning as the nickel corner, Carroll may be back to his role as the team’s fourth corner. He may want to look for a starting job somewhere else.
Projected contract: 1 year, $2.7 million, $1.1 million guaranteed
E.J. Biggers, CB
I never thought E.J. Biggers would make the initial 53-man roster for the Eagles, but he did – largely because of rookie JaCorey Shepherd’s injury – and he actually played a substantial role on defense. Biggers played in all 16 games, collecting 39 tackles and seven passes defenses. He’s also 29 this spring and very likely won’t be brought back.
Walter Thurmond, S
It’s incredibly ironic. The Eagles went from 2008 to 2015 without a solid set of starting safeties, they lucked into a solid season from converted cornerback Walter Thurmond, and now they’ll almost certainly let him walk in free agency. Thurmond, who recorded three interceptions, a fumble return for a touchdown and 71 tackles, doesn’t fit the necessary requirements for Schwartz’s defense. In a 4-3 that will include a significant amount of the wide-nine, the Eagles need bigger safeties to step up and make plays against the run. Thurmond is 5’11 and weighs 186 pounds. Maybe the Eagles will try to bring him back. They could even try to move him back to cornerback, where he’s a more natural fit. But Thurmond himself has stated that he doesn’t expect to be back. I agree.
