11:37am: Kelly’s deal includes $225K in fully guaranteed money, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Caplan writes that Kelly will have $150K of his 2016 base salary guaranteed, and will get a fully guaranteed $75K roster bonus in 2017.
10:51am: The Eagles’ offseason of extensions continues. After locking up several high-profile players earlier in the offseason, Philadelphia’s latest signing won’t turn many heads, but the team has extended the contract of offensive lineman Dennis Kelly by a year, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Kelly, whose deal had been set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, will now be under contract through 2017. According to Yates, the 26-year-old’s new one-year extension is worth $880K in new money. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds (via Twitter) that Kelly will receive a $775K base salary in 2017, which will represent the minimum salary for a player with his NFL experience.
A fifth-round pick out of Purdue in 2012, Kelly started 10 games for the Eagles in his rookie season, spending time at right guard and right tackle. Since then, however, he has battled injuries and has played primarily as a reserve, starting just five of the 17 games he appeared in over the last two years.
With the Eagles having fortified their offensive line in the offseason by signing veteran free agents Brandon Brooks and Stefen Wisniewski, Kelly figures to return to a backup role in 2016 and will likely only be pressed into action if one or two starters suffer injuries.
Earlier this offseason, Philadelphia extended the contracts of quarterback Sam Bradford, tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek, defensive end Vinny Curry, and offensive tackle Lane Johnson. The team also remains in discussions with defensive tackle Fletcher Cox about a lucrative new deal.
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