Eagles now lead the NFL in guaranteed money contracts…

With the signing of DT-Extraordinaire Fletcher Cox to an extended long-term deal guaranteed for $63 million, the Philadelphia Eagles now dominate the league in the “in it to win it” category based upon commitment to guaranteed compensation of current personnel.

Most “guaranteed money” spent since January 1, 2016:

1. Eagles = $280 million
2. Giants = $141 million
3. Redskins = $114 million
4. Ravens = $114 million
5. Jaguars = 104 million.

What does it really mean?

Probably that both owner Jeff Lurie and G.M. Howie Roseman agree that the team has a realistic 3-year window to win it all based upon the talent and the character of the guys they have invested in collectively over the past 5 years…and unlike the pie-in-the-sky guaranteed money thrown at the 2011 ensemble of eclectic free agents, this “guaranteed money” is being granted to a group of veterans which is solidly “home-grown”…well, for the most part, anyway. You’ve got Sam Bradford, Malcolm Jenkins and Brandon Brooks in that “guaranteed money” mix… they are more adopted than home-grown as minimally guaranteed $20 million players… But the rest of the $20 million+ club was drafted by the Eagles, guys such as Cox, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Zach Ertz, and dare I say Carson Wentz and Lane Johnson?

Cox gets $36.299 fully guaranteed at signing, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Another $19.25 million in guarantees kicks in in March 2017, and another $7.75 million in guarantees kicks in in March of 2018.

Cox, a first-round pick in 2012, went to the Pro Bowl this year after recording a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2015. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Cox led the Eagles by making 24 tackles for a loss or no gain last season. In his four-year career, Cox has 22 sacks and six fumble recoveries. He was also credited with a career-high 53 “QB hurries” in 2015 by PFF.

After three seasons as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, Cox is expected to return to defensive tackle in coordinator Jim Schwartz’s 4-3 defense.

You can’t buy a championship team, as my old friend and colleague at Redskins Hog Heaven Anthony Brown says…  but apparently you can sell the sizzle of the steak you are trying to grill to your fan base.

Cox’s contract puts him in the same neighborhood as Miami’s Ndamukong Suh, who signed a six-year, $114 million contract two years ago. Suh, a free agent who had been drafted by the Detroit Lions, received just under $60 million in guaranteed money as part of that deal.

In December of 2015, Cox had seven tackles and a sack as the Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo coach Rex Ryan took notice. Ryan’s father, Buddy, coached the Eagles in the 1980s, when they drafted a defensive tackle named Jerome Brown.

“That [No.] 91 is a good player,” Ryan said after the game. “I was laughing when I saw him being compared to Jerome Brown, but I’m not laughing now. The kid is a pretty good player.”

Bills guard Richie Incognito appreciated Cox’s performance from a different vantage point.

“He is a great player,” Incognito said. “I did not play my best, and he beat me early and often. You have to take your hat off to him. He had one on me. He beat me clearly, and I had to hold him to get him to stop. You have to be impressed by him.”

Cox’s new deal adds six years to his current deal and thus ties him to the team until 2021. There are some opt-out clauses for the Eagles as the deal ages into the 5th and 6th years. But his average of $17.2 million per season puts him ahead of, among others, Olivier Vernon ($17 million), the Houston Texans‘ J.J. Watt ($16.6 million), the New York Jets‘ Muhammad Wilkerson ($15.7 million as a franchise player) and the Buffalo Bills‘ Marcell Dareus ($15.85 million). Only Ndamukong Suh ($19.1 million) averages more, and it’s worth noting that Suh’s deal came as an unrestricted free agent with the Miami Dolphins.

Look, if Cox gets seriously injured during the course of his contract or for some bizarre Haynesworthian reason he fails to perform, there will be ways to get out of the brunt of the liability by Eagles management. I’m sure the team has arranged some type of insurance policy to protect itself in case of catastrophic failure to perform by the player.

How did Cox (6-4, 300, Mississippi State, 1st Round and 12th overall, 2012) get from there to here? Short answer—he was and is an incredibly gifted natural athlete, especially for a young man of his immense size. It all began and was originally discovered in Yazoo City.

Cox attended Yazoo City High School in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he played football and basketball and ran track. Cox then played three seasons at Mississippi State University. In college football, Cox was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly as a junior in 2011, after totaling 103 total tackles, including 11 quarterback sacks and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. As a senior, he had 104 total tackles, including 10 quarterback sacks, and also added one interception and a fumble recovery.

Here’s where the special athleticism sets Cox apart—he was on the Yazoo City High track & field team, where he competed in the high jump and in the relays. At a Division 3-4A Meet, he placed 8th in the high jump event, with a leap of 1.74 meters, which is about 6 feet. In relays, he had personal-best times of 44.32 seconds in the 4 × 100m relay and 1:32.63 minutes in the 4 × 200m relay. He was also credited with a 4.47 time in the 40-yard dash, and benched 300 lb.

Regarded as a four-star high school recruit by national recruiting web site Rivals.com, he was rated as the No. 5 weak side defensive end in the country, and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Mississippi. He was also considered the No. 17 defensive end prospect in the country by Scout.com. He chose to attend MSU over scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss.

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up from the 15th selection to pick Cox 12th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He is the highest selected Mississippi State Bulldog since Michael Haddix in 1983, and the highest selected Bulldog defensive lineman since Jimmy Webb in 1975.

Career stats