Coming And Going

NFL free agency begin Monday with the negotiation period.

Unlike in recent years, the Philadelphia Eagles could look to play the compensatory pick game rather than showing their typical aggression in acquiring and keeping talent.

On the latest “Inside The Birds” podcast, Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan provided updates on recent Eagles news and gave a preview of the upcoming free agency class. 

Darius Slay’s current contract situation complicates a murky free agency where the Eagles are already facing the loss of several starters.

Darius Slay

Geoff Mosher: “He is in the final year of his deal, $17 million salary that is not guaranteed, but he does have voided years left. He’s not worried about being cut; he just wants a new deal. He feels like he’s worth more than $17 million a year.”

Adam Caplan: “If they don’t move him, is he going to be OK playing at $17 million for this season? There has been no movement to do an extension. Here’s the problem with a restructure: the previous two years he got restructured. They converted just under $27 million over those two seasons and because of that, his cap number went up to $26 million. Even if he’s traded this year, he’ll still count just under $14 million for 2024.”

Miles Sanders

Caplan: “Talking to some salary cap people around the league, it seems that $7 million is going to be that sweet spot for the top running back. I’d be very surprised if any of them see $10 million or more…Miles Sanders, as talented as he is, teams see him as a first and second down back.”

Jason Kelce

Caplan: “It would be a minor surprise if he doesn’t come back. It’s just a gut feeling based on what we’ve heard the last couple of weeks. He hasn’t made a decision, just to be clear.”

Javon Hargrave

Mosher: “The vibe I got was the Eagles would like to bring him back, but they also are very understanding of what the market was going to be, and that was before Da’Ron Payne got $22 million a year.”

T.J. Edwards

Mosher: “There are some people I spoke to who identified some teams who may be interested in Edwards based on that team’s situation and their knowledge of how they operate. Two teams that definitely need linebacker help are the Steelers and the Bills.”

Caplan: “I would be watching the Giants. They have to do something at inside linebacker. They have Brandon Brown as assistant general manager, another former Eagle.”
[UPDATE: Edwards reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Bears.]

C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Caplan: “The more we hear about this, the Eagles aren’t the only team that view him as a hybrid player. He played strong safety, free safety, and slot corner. There’s no comparable contract.”

Mosher: “We have not slammed the door on him coming back to the Eagles at all.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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