Something had to give when the Birds pulled off the big Fletcher Cox signing extension this year. The Eagles have about $6 million in cap space left in 2016. In 2017, they currently are $5.7 million over the projected salary cap.
“That requires some risk on our part,” G.M. Howie Roseman said last week. “We knew that we had to get a little uncomfortable for this season and next season, really, to build something that hopefully lasts…”
But as Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com reminds us, cap relief is just a CUT away in 2017:
“…the official line doesn’t really hold up under scrutiny. Bradford’s salary-cap charge for 2017 is $22.5 million. If the Eagles release him, Bradford will still count for $9.5 million in dead money on their 2017 cap, but the Eagles would save $13 million in cap space. Instead of being $5.7 million over the cap, they would instantly be $7.3 under the 2017 salary cap. They also have no first-round draft pick to pay in 2017. So cutting Bradford would give them enough flexibility to do business.”
“Cutting left tackle Jason Peters, who will be 35 in 2017, would save the Eagles another $9 million in cap space. The Eagles would then need to replace Peters, but the point is they can free up significant cap space with just a couple of transactions.”
“So the answer is yes, the Cox contract pushed the Eagles near their limit in terms of cap space. But they also have some built-in escape hatches that can be used if needed.”
They will also get some relief in 2017 from the “Dead Money” charges against the current cap in 2016:
Dead Money
| Name | Cap Number |
|---|---|
| Byron Maxwell | $4,800,000 |
| DeMarco Murray | $4,000,000 |
| Riley Cooper | $2,400,000 |
| Evan Mathis | $1,000,000 |
| DeMeco Ryans | $1,000,000 |
| Mark Sanchez | $1,000,000 |
| Brad Jones | $250,000 |
| Jaylen Watkins | $248,514 |
| Matt Barkley | $124,257 |
| Randall Evans | $89,523 |
| Earl Wolff | $53,000 |
| Brandon Bair | $50,000 |
| Brian Mihalik | $46,242 |
| Jerome Couplin | $16,668 |
| Brett Boyko | $6,667 |
| Mike Coccia | $6,667 |
| Eric Tomlinson | $6,667 |
| Travis Raciti | $5,000 |
| Malcolm Bunche | $5,000 |
| Devante Davis | $4,667 |
| Justin Tukes | $4,000 |
| John Harris | $4,000 |
| Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo | $3,334 |
| B.J. McBryde | $3,334 |
| Raheem Mostert | $3,334 |
| Cole Manhart | $3,334 |
| Terrence Magee | $3,000 |
| Andrew Gleichert | $1,334 |
| Kip Smith | $334 |
| TOTAL | $15,138,876 |
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