Since free agency began last month, the Eagles have reached deals with nine players and none of them will have big salary cap hits in 2020.
In fact, all nine will combine for a cap hit of $20,831,875 in the upcoming season. Here’s an overall look at the Eagles’ current salary cap situation and how much room they have left.
Of the nine new contracts, just three are for longer than one year.
Here’s a closer look at all of the new deals:
Javon Hargrave
Summary: The Eagles got the 27-year-old defensive tackle on a three-year, $39 million contract that includes $26 million in guaranteed money and a signing bonus of $11.75 million. Hargrave has a base salary of $1 million in 2020 but it jumps to $12.75 million in the subsequent two years.
Notes: The Eagles were able to alleviate some salary cap stress by adding two dummy years at the end of this contract. It’s a trick they like to use to spread out that signing bonus money for cap purposes. The 2023 and 2024 years void automatically but there is dead money left over in 2023 when Hargrave is gone (the remaining prorated signing bonus amounts).
NFL
2020 cap hit: $3,450,000
2021 cap hit: $15,200,000
2022 cap hit: $15,450,000
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2023 cap hit: $4,900,000
Darius Slay
Summary: The Eagles traded third- and fifth-round picks to get Slay and then then gave him an extension. Because Slay had one year left on his deal in Detroit, the Eagles gave him a three-year extension worth just over $50 million. Combined, this becomes a four-year deal worth $60.55 million. There’s a total guarantee of $30.05M, $13 million of which is a signing bonus.
Notes: While this is technically a four-year contract, it could basically turn into a two-year, $26 million deal. The Eagles could cut slay before the 2022 season; that would save $13.25M in cap space with $6.5M in dead money. If they cut him after the 2022 season, they would save $17.5M in 2023 with just $3.25 million in dead space.
2020 cap hit: $4,300,000
2021 cap hit: $15,750,000
2022 cap hit: $19,750,000
2023 cap hit: $20,750,000
Rodney McLeod
Summary: McLeod’s two-year contract is worth $8.65 million but he has the potential to earn $1.7 million more in incentives per year. McLeod got a $3 million signing bonus and a total guarantee of $5.5 million.
Notes: Because of that guaranteed money, you can expect McLeod to play out this two year deal in Philly. This is another of those “dummy years” contracts. It’s technically a five-year contract but the final three years void for salary cap purposes and the remaining prorated amounts become dead money in 2022.
2020 cap hit: $2,350,000
2021 cap hit: $5,200,000
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2022 cap hit: $1,800,000
Jalen Mills
Summary: The Eagles brought Mills back on a one-year, $4 million deal with $2 million guaranteed. That $2 million comes to him immediately in the form of a signing bonus. Mills also has the potential to earn another million in incentives.
Notes: Because Mills’ guaranteed money is all signing bonus, his base salary in 2020 is technically not guaranteed. But the Eagles didn’t bring him back to cut him.
2020 cap hit: $4,000,000
Will Parks
Summary: The Philly native got a one-year, $1.5 million contract from the Birds that includes $1.375 million in guaranteed money and a signing bonus of $375K. He has a base salary of $1M in 2020 and per-game roster bonuses that total $125,000.
Notes: Since Parks played in just 14 games last season, just 14/16ths of his per-game roster bonus money counts toward his cap hit. It doesn’t mean he’ll earn any less, but he counts a little less against the cap.
2020 cap hit: $1,484,375
Nickell Robey-Coleman
Summary: The veteran nickel corner’s one-year deal with the Eagles is worth $1.35 million, with a cap hit to match. He got a $300,000 signing bonus and $1.05 million guaranteed.
Notes: He’s 28 now but Robey-Coleman is a good nickel corner and the Eagles got him for a pretty solid price. In his three years with the Rams, NRC earned over $12.5 million, an average of over $4 million per season.
2020 cap hit: $1,350,000
Jatavis Brown
Summary: The Eagles got the former Chargers linebacker on a one-year deal worth $1.047 million. He got a total guarantee of $550K and a signing bonus of $50K.
Notes: This is a Veteran Salary benefit deal — designed to get teams to sign veterans instead of younger, cheaper players — so his $910K base salary will count as $750K against the cap. After that, he has a $50K signing bonus and an $87.5K roster bonus to make up his cap hit.
2020 cap hit: $887,500
Nate Sudfeld
Summary: The Eagles brought back their backup quarterback on a one-year deal worth $2 million and a cap hit to match. Sudfeld got a signing bonus of $500K and a total of $1 million guaranteed.
Notes: This deal is actually a significant pay cut for Sudfeld. Last year, as a restricted free agent, the Eagles tagged him at a second-round level, which paid him a salary of $3.095 million.
2020 cap hit: $2,000,000
Hassan Ridgeway
Summary: The Eagles brought back Ridgeway on a one-year deal worth just north of a million bucks. He got a $25,000 signing bonus and that’s his only guaranteed money. In addition to his $910K base salary and his signing bonus, Ridgeway also has a $25K workout bonus.
Notes: The Eagles like Ridgeway as their fourth defensive tackle but they haven’t married themselves to him. Cutting him would leave just $25K in dead money, so if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out.
2020 cap hit: $1,010,000
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