10:12am: Peters’ new contract, which has now been confirmed by the team, will create about $2MM in cap savings for the Eagles in 2014, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
8:52am: The Eagles have reached an agreement to extend the contract of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters, agent Vincent Taylor tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). According to Schefter, Peters will ink a four-year deal worth $41.3MM, with $19.55MM in guaranteed money.
Peters, 32, had been set to enter the last year of his contract, which would have paid him a base salary of $9.65MM. It’s not clear yet exactly how the new deal will break down season to season, but according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), the contract adds four new years onto Peters’ current pact, rather than including the 2014 season. As such, the Eagles will have their left tackle under contract through 2018, and his full five-year deal maxes out at $51MM+.
The agreement will also create more short-term flexibility for the club by reducing Peters’ $10.292MM cap number for the ’14 season, tweets Pelissero. Meanwhile, the Arkansas alum will earn $10MM in bonuses before July 1 of this year, his agent tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Although the contract runs through Peters’ age-36 season, there’s no guarantee he’ll remain on Philadelphia’s roster until the end of the 2018 season. Still, it’s a significant commitment on the Eagles’ part, and one that will likely allow Peters to retire as an Eagle, for which his agent praised Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman, according to Rapoport.
It’s also the sort of commitment that Peters has earned. Coming off an Achilles injury that wiped out his 2012 season, the former Bill started all 16 games for the Eagles in 2013, earning his sixth Pro Bowl berth and his second first-team All Pro nod. While Peters didn’t quite return to the very top of Pro Football Focus’ rankings, he got close, placing fourth among 76 qualified tackles (subscription required). He’ll anchor the Eagles’ line and protect Nick Foles‘ blind side for the foreseeable future.