The free agency class, and who the big players will be in it, are starting to come into focus.
The question is, how involved will the Eagles be -- and how much money will top personnel executive Howie Roseman have to work with?
Here is an updated look at the Eagles' current salary cap situation:
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 $189 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 $8 million in salary cap space, depending on where the final salary cap number comes in (although OTC has the Eagles around $2 million over, which doesn't appear to include the rollover money).
Opening Up Salary Cap Space:
The Eagles have already made two big moves to open up space. The first was quarterback Nick Foles not picking up his end of the mutual option, which cleared about $18 million in salary cap space. The second was safety Rodney McLeod restructering his contract, which opened up about $7 million.
The next big decision the Eagles will have to make will be whether to move on from left tackle Jason Peters. Cutting Peters would free up another $8 million. Although Peters struggled to stay healthy at the beginning of the year, he did finish the seasson strong, playing the majority of the snaps down the stretch. The decision on what to do with Peters will be a tough one. 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. Cutting defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan would save the Eagles around $7 million. Add up the money saved from moving on from Peters, Long and Jernigan, and the Eagles could open up another $20.3 million. Receiver Nelson Agholor's future is also a bit up in the air, and if the Eagles were to trade him they could save another $9.3 million.
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!
