Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman has solidified a sort of unspoken mantra this offseason; know what you own. To this respect, Philadelphia has resigned four major components of the league’s most prolific offense in Jason Kelce Jason Peters Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin; in addition to a dominating force within the Eagles’ front-seven: Cedric Thornton.
Loyalty to players has taken new meaning in the city of brotherly love as the Eagles look to improve on their division championship from 2013. By keeping Thronton, Cooper, Maclin, Peters, and Kelce in Eagle green, Philadelphia has shown tremendous devotion to those that helped bring a division title to a fan-base starving for a Lombardi trophy; in addition to keeping up with the win from within mentality that has helped teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers win six Super Bowls.
Starting with the men that moved the league’s top rushing offense from the 2013 season, the Kelce and Peters signings indicate that barring injury, Philadelphia will once again boast what may be the best offensive line in today’s NFL; and at a tremendous price.
Franchise-center Jason Kelce will make $37.5 million over the next six seasons, with just $10,398,000 million guaranteed. As for the man some deem the best run-blocker in the game, Jason Peters signed an extension that will pay him $38.3 million over the next four years with $19.55 million guaranteed earning him an average of $9,575,000 per year through the 2018 season. While both Peters and Kelce are being payed like top-10 players at their respective positions, their on-field abilities indicate that both of these deals are favorable for Philadelphia.
Switching to the skill positions, two members of Nick Foles areal arsenal also inked deals to stay with the beasts of the NFC East. Cooper made the most of his time as a starter due to Maclin’s ACL tear catching 47 passes for 835 yards and eight touchdowns. This solid stat-line will earn Cooper $22.5 million over the next five years with $8 million fully guaranteed and an additional $2 million should the wideout remain healthy.
When Cooper signed on the dotted line, many began to speculate about former Eagles’ starter Jeremy Maclin’s future with the team. That futuristic perspective can be put on hold for at least one more season as Maclin agreed to a one-year contract worth $6 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. Though the veteran receiver was seeking a multi-year deal, Roseman and company took the smart route for a sort of “wait and see” approach regarding the injured receiver.
The Maclin and Cooper signings further strengthen an already potent offense, and stem the learning curve brining in alternative options would have created. However, rumors have circulated that because of these two deals star receiver DeSean Jackson may be traded. Honestly, this rumor has no strong foundation. With Cooper, Jackson, Maclin in addition to Zach Ertz and Brent Celek the Eagles have one of the most talented crops of pass-catchers in football. One can’t imagine Philadelphia would want to change that.
Something the Eagles did have the desire to alter was the status of defensive lineman Cedric Thornton’s impending restricted free agency. Chip Kelly labeled Thornton as the best player on Philadelphia’s defense last season, so the team was eager to keep the man that helped keep the Bird’s in the top-10 against the run in 2013. A long-term deal for Thornton may yet be in the works, but the single season deal will keep the run-stopping machine in Philadelphia for the near-future at least.