The offseason is now here after the Eagles loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. That means it is time for the front office, led by Howie Roseman, to make some really tough decisions about a roster that is filled with holes, free agents and question marks.
A key factor in many of those decisions will be money and salary cap space, two things the Eagles don't have much of right now, but can absolutely work their way towards.
Here is an in-depth look at where the Eagles' salary cap situation currently stands:
NFL Salary Cap: The NFL salary cap is expected to come in at somewhere around $191 million, an increase of around $10 million from the 2018 season. It isn't clear when the final figure will be announced.
Rollover Money: In the NFL, money that isn't used during one season rolls over to the next. The Eagles end the 2018 season with around $6 million in salary cap space, which will be added to their cap space for the 2019 offseason, and give them a salary cap of $197 million ($191 million salary cap plus $6 million in rollover money).
Current Salary Cap Space: According to OvertheCap.com, the Eagles currently have around $206 million in salary cap hits for their top 51 players for the 2019 season. With a cap of $197 million, that leaves the Eagles around $9 million over the salary cap, depending on where the final salary cap number comes in (although OTC has the Eagles around $12 million over). The Eagles have to be under the salary cap by the beginning of the new league year, which is on March 13.
Opening Up Salary Cap Space:
The quickest way to open up space will be to move on from quarterback Nick Foles. By not exercising the mutual option on his contract, the Eagles will open up $18 million in salary cap space. That puts them under the salary cap right away. Another fairly easy decision for the Eagles should be moving on from left tackle Jason Peters, which would free up another $8 million. Peters has struggled to stay on the field all season and ended the Eagles playoff loss to the Saints on the bench due to a back injury.
If defensive end Chris Long, who contemplated not coming back this season, does indeed walk away prior to next season, the Eagles will open up an additional $5.3 million. Add those three players up, and the Eagles should be able to shed around $31 million fairly easily, which would give around $19 million in salary cap space to work with.
Overall:
The decisions the Eagles make this offseason will shape the franchise for years to come, as they have some key free agents — like defensive end Brandon Graham and receiver Golden Tate — that they have to decide what to do with. Quarterback Carson Wentz could also come asking for a new contract, which could end up significantly upping his $8 million cap hit he is set to have for next season. When it comes times for the Eagles to start spending, it would be surprising if they weren't working with around $20-25 million in salary cap space.
Considering the holes they have on their roster, and the holes they will create by cutting players to save money, opening up salary cap space in the right way and then spending it on the right players is going to be absolutely crucial.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
