Before the start of free agency this week, the Eagles are already taking care of their own.
The Eagles and Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson have agreed to terms on a four-year extension.
Dickerson, 25, was set to enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2024 but is now under contract through the 2028 season. Dickerson is just the second Eagles player to be under contract through 2028, joining quarterback Jalen Hurts.
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Dickerson's four-year extension is worth $84 million with a total guarantee of $50 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. His APY of $21 million makes him the highest-paid guard in the NFL.
The Eagles drafted Dickerson in the second round (No. 37 overall) in the 2021 draft out of Alabama. After playing three seasons, Dickerson became eligible for a contract extension this offseason and the Eagles didn’t waste much time. It’s also possible an extension could be coming for 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith, although he’ll be under team control through 2025 once they pick up his fifth-year option.
Dickerson had a lengthy injury history in college at Florida State and Alabama and he was coming off an ACL injury when the Eagles drafted him. But the reason he was available in the second round had nothing to do with his play. The Eagles got a first-round talent and Dickerson has played like it.
“I think for us, you want to take some chances,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said after drafting Dickerson in 2021. “You want to be aggressive on talent at times but you also have to weigh that with other factors, and I think when you talk about Sidney, he wants to be a really good player. Unfortunately when you look at what happened this training camp, we didn't have a much — as much opportunity to evaluate him as we would have liked to."
NFL
The Eagles nailed this one.
In his first three seasons with the Eagles, Dickerson has played in 47 games with 46 starts. He’s also found a real home at left guard next to his close friend and Jordan Mailata at left tackle. Mailata is also under contract through the 2025 season.
In his two seasons as the Eagles’ full-time starting left guard, Dickerson has been a back-to-back Pro Bowler and improved a lot in 2023. Last season, Dickerson was ranked as the 17th best overall guard in the NFL, according to ProFootballFocus. In 17 games in 2023, Dickerson gave up 5 sacks but just 38 total pressures.
The Eagles lost a legend last week when future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce retired. Cam Jurgens is expected to replace Kelce at that position but locking up Dickerson for another four years provides stability for that offensive line under OL coach Jeff Stoutland.
Getting this extension done with Dickerson now really checks two classic Eagles boxes. 1. They always try to lock up their own cornerstone players before they get near free agency. 2. They always care about the trenches, especially the offensive line.
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