A month after they released him, the Eagles have re-signed slot cornerback Avonte Maddox, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday morning. NBC Sports Philadelphia confirmed the news.
The Eagles released Maddox on March 6 to get out from under the final year of his contract. He had one year left on a three-year, $22.5 million extension he signed in November 2021 and was due $6.85 million in 2024.
While he’ll now carry about $7.72 million in dead money, according to Over the Cap, his base salary presumably is far lower.
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Bringing Maddox back with a significantly lower price tag makes sense since he’s a very good slot corner when he’s healthy, but he’s just had trouble staying healthy.
He missed six games in 2020 with an ankle injury, played just nine games in 2022 thanks to ankle, knee and toe injuries and then was limited to four games last year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral in September. He came back for the last few games of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle but wasn't close to 100 percent.
With Maddox out most of the year, the Eagles found themselves in deep trouble trying to settle on an inside cornerback, and they never did, going through a series of slot corners with little success.
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but most likely, the new contract includes playing-time or performance incentives that will give Maddox a chance to significantly increase his pay if he can stay healthy and stay on the field.
NFL
Maddox had a month to explore free agency, but it’s not easy for anybody who’s played just 13 games the last two years to land a contract with anything guaranteed.
With Maddox back, the Eagles’ cornerback room now includes Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, Josh Jobe and Zech McPhearson from last year’s roster. Former Colt Isaiah Rodgers is expected to be cleared to return soon according to owner Jeff Lurie after serving a one-year suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
If Maddox plays on opening day in Brazil, he will have had four different defensive coordinators in his last six games. He played in Super Bowl LVII in Arizona under Jonathan Gannon, then played two games last year under Sean Desai and two games under Matt Patricia. The Eagles’ current defensive coordinator is Vic Fangio.
Maddox, originally a 4th-round pick in 2018, has played in 64 games with 38 starts in six years with the Eagles. He has four interceptions, 3.0 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 250 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.
He’s now one of only five position players who was on the roster in 2018. The others are Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Dallas Goedert, Josh Sweat and Jordan Mailata.
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