The Eagles are projected to be approximately $70 million over the cap for the 2021 season so they have some work to do.
And they have reportedly begun that work the day after the 2020 season ended.
The Eagles have restructured the contracts of Alshon Jeffery and Malik Jackson with the expectation that the team will move on from both of them this spring, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
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According to the report, these moves will allow the Eagles to “carry less salary on their books until the June 1 dumping ground.”
Garafolo went on to explain the reason these players agreed to this restructure is because it will basically allow the Eagles to part ways with them earlier, which in turn, will give the players more time to find new teams.
Both players are on the wrong side of 30 and would have come with expensive salaries in 2021, so it’s not surprising at all that the Eagles are expected to move on.
Based on the initial structure of these two contracts, the way the Eagles would have needed to cut these players was with post-June 1 designations. While you can cut a player with that designation before June 1, that cap hit has to stay with the team through that date.
NFL
So now, the Eagles have apparently found a way to limit their cap hits before that June 1 date hits.
Alshon’s cap hit for 2021 was on schedule to be $18.5 million and Jackson’s was scheduled to be $13.6 million. The Eagles weren’t going to bring them back, especially not at those numbers.
Cutting Jeffery with a post-June 1 designation would have saved $13 million and cutting Jackson with a post-June 1 designation would have saved $10 million, according to OverTheCap. So you can probably expect similar savings but it looks like the Eagles found a way to get some of those savings a little earlier.
The Eagles are coming off a 4-11-1 season so you can expect some major changes this offseason. They will likely be moving on from several other veterans in addition to Jeffery and Jackson.
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