With Tim Jernigan's Texans deal falling apart, could Eagles be interested?

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Tim Jernigan’s NFL future is once again uncertain after his contract agreement with the Texans fell apart.

Multiple sources reported two months ago that Jernigan, who spent the last three years with the Eagles, had agreed with the Houston Texans on a one-year contract worth $3.75 million with $1.25 million guaranteed.

On April 16, Texans coach Bill O’Brien acknowledged that the Texans had agreed to terms with the veteran defensive tackle in a virtual press conference.

“That was a big get for us, to be able to bring Timmy Jernigan onto our roster,” he said.

But on Tuesday evening, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that the deal was off and the Texans were no longer planning to sign Jernigan.

Jernigan later confirmed the report on social media.

“Guess I’m not goin to Houston .. but the show not ova,” Jernigan wrote on Instagram.

This is bad news for the Eagles, who can no longer count Jernigan in the formula to gain compensatory picks in next year’s draft. Even if he signs elsewhere, it would be well beyond the deadline for free agent signings to count in the compensatory pick formula.  

According to Garafolo, Jernigan never even took a physical with the Texans so it doesn’t appear Jernigan’s injury history was a factor in this decision.

Garafolo reported only that the two sides had mutually agreed to “part ways” before Jernigan ever even officially became a part of the organization.

Jernigan, 27, was the Ravens' 2nd-round pick in 2014 and after three seasons in Baltimore was traded to the Eagles.

He was a key starter on the 2017 Super Bowl defense but played only 13 of a possible 32 games the last two years because of injuries. 

After playing 493 defensive snaps in 2017, he managed only 45 in 2018 and 274 last year.

The Eagles are loaded at defensive tackle, so it’s hard to imagine they would have any desire to re-sign Jernigan at any price.

In addition to five-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox, they have big-ticket free agent Javon Hargrave, they return Malik Jackson, they re-signed Hassan Ridgeway and they added highly regarded undrafted free agent Raequan Williams from Michigan State. They also have Anthony Rush, Albert Huggins and Bruce Hector returning from last year.

According to Spotrac, the Eagles already have $49.9 million wrapped up in 2020 salary cap expenditures at defensive tackle, 5th-highest in the NFL.

Jernigan has already earned $19.195 million in six NFL seasons, more than half of it in the $10 million signing bonus the Eagles gave him when they signed him to an extension late in 2017.

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