Michael Perez/Associated Press
Of the seven Philadelphia Eagles scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March, only two are very important. Unfortunately, neither Jeremy Maclin nor Brandon Graham may prove as easy to re-sign as hoped.
The good news is the Eagles can all but guarantee at least one of two stays put through the use of the franchise tag, if necessary. The question is which one—and is either of them worth it?
For the uninitiated, the franchise tag is a one-year contract offer worth the average of the five highest-paid NFL players at a respective position.
There are two versions of the tag—exclusive, which prevents other teams from even negotiating with said free agent, and non-exclusive, which allows suitors to sign tagged players to an offer sheet. If a non-exclusive player agrees to an offer, the organization can either match or accept first- and third-round draft picks as compensation.
The period to use the franchise tag opened on Monday and lasts until March 2.
Tagging Maclin or Graham in lieu of reaching a long-term extension would buy the Eagles at least a year to work something out or find a replacement. At this point, if either player were to walk, it’s unclear who would step into their roles.
| 2014 | 85 | 1,318 | 15.5 | 10 |
| 2012 | 69 | 857 | 12.4 | 7 |
| 2011 | 63 | 859 | 13.6 | 5 |
| 2010 | 70 | 964 | 13.8 | 10 |
| 2009 | 56 | 773 | 13.8 | 4 |
NFL.com
Maclin is coming off a Pro Bowl season in which the wide receiver finished in the top 10 with 1,318 yards (ninth) and 10 touchdowns (t-seventh). The scary part is his numbers likely would’ve been better had quarterback Nick Foles not suffered an injury midway through the year.
If Maclin were to depart, the Eagles would be charged with replacing a No. 1 receiver for the second offseason in a row, which is no small task. In 2014, the team released DeSean Jackson after a similarly productive year, but it knew Maclin was waiting in the wings.
Philadelphia does have impressive rookie Jordan Matthews, whose 67 receptions, 872 yards and eight touchdowns were good for second in the clubhouse. However, Matthews worked primarily out of the slot, and it’s unclear whether he’s ready to take over as a feature receiver so soon.
Hopefully, the Eagles won’t have to go down this road with Maclin, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to remain in midnight green. As Geoff Mosher for CSNPhilly.com points out, once other big-name free-agent receivers such as Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas reach agreements, negotiations with Maclin should fall like a domino.
In the event something were to go wrong, though, the Birds could tag Maclin for an estimated salary of $12.71 million, according to Jason La Canfora for CBSSports.com. That’s not too bad considering a new contract is expected to pay him around $9-10 million per year.
USA TODAY Sports The Eagles will be in a similarly difficult position if Graham walks. Granted, the former 13th overall pick has been stuck in a backup role practically his entire time in Philly, but 2015 could finally be the year that changes.
Starter Trent Cole is a potential cap casualty, and even if he restructures, he’s past his prime and will turn 33 in October. 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith barely saw the field as a rookie, so it’s difficult to envision him taking on a significantly larger role in the defense.
If Graham re-signs, the job is likely his after a career year in which he recorded 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. That’s not too shabby considering he lined up for only 43.1 percent of the defensive snaps in ’14, according to Football Outsiders.
That being said, the franchise tag might be a little excessive for a player who’s never held a full-time job in the NFL. La Canfora’s estimated salary of $13.08 million for tagged linebackers is nearly twice what Graham is said to be asking for in negotiations with the team.
| 2014 | 47 | 5.5 | 4 |
| 2013 | 19 | 3.0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 38 | 5.5 | 2 |
| 2011 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 13 | 3.0 | 2 |
NFL.com
According to Derrick Gunn for CSNPhilly.com, the Eagles offered Graham a four-year contract worth $6.2 million per year with $10 million guaranteed back in December. Graham’s people reportedly countered with four years at $7.5 million per and $20 million guaranteed.
While you wouldn’t describe the two sides as being particularly close, they’re probably not as far off as it sounds, either. Regardless, it’s pretty clear based on those figures that the franchise tag would be overkill in this situation.
Yet who will start at outside linebacker if Graham is not retained?
Obviously, the Eagles may have to explore free agency if that winds up being the case.
If the team is tagging anybody, it should be Maclin, as the salary is more in line with what he can expect to be paid on a new long-term deal. Of course, ideally, the Eagles will be able to reach a pact with their Pro Bowl wideout before it ever comes to that in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment