Philadelphia Eagles Must Resolve Cap Issues
If the Philadelphia Eagles are going to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they have some work to do. General manager Howie Roseman transformed a poor roster into the best in just a few seasons, and now, the challenge is to remain atop the proverbial heap.
However, the Eagles are going to have to wade through some high salary cap waters. Going into the offseason, Philadelphia has the worst cap situation in terms of available dollars, sitting at $9.6 million over the projected threshold of $178 million. While some teams have some very easy ways of getting under the cap with the releases of underperforming players, the Eagles are not so lucky.
Looking at the situation, the best moves might also bring some pain along with them. Philadelphia can move on from longtime tight end Brent Celek, saving $4 million and only taking on $1 million in dead money. Perhaps the easiest decision would be getting rid of Torrey Smith, who would open up $5 million without a cent of dead cap space. Smith was nothing more than a spare part in the offense last year, catching 36 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
Finally, getting rid of guard Chance Warmack would save $1.15 million. If Roseman made all three of those moves, the Eagles would be sitting on approximately $1 million in space, not enough to do anything … including signing their own draft class.
With all that in mind, would Philadelphia be willing to move on from Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles? Foles was sublime in the playoffs and is only 29 years old, but is he a luxury that has become to expensive to keep? Trading Foles would net the Eagles $5.2 million, giving them enough to breathe. However, should Carson Wentz not be ready for the start of the 2018 season following a torn ACL, Philadelphia would be in real trouble.
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Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles have ample free agents would they would likely want to retain, although that appears to be a pipe dream. Nigel Bradham has priced himself out of town, the same with tight end Trey Burton and running back LeGarrette Blount. Philadelphia might also wave goodbye to Darren Sproles, although it’s proven it can win without him.
The only chance Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have of retaining most of the aforementioned names would be restructuring a litany of deals, but that pushes money — and problems — down the line. Philadelphia would be wise to simply take on the short-term pain knowing that the future is set up without a bevy of cap problems.
After winning it all, Philadelphia can exhale … but only for a short while.
