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Jason Peters

Eagles, Jason Peters Agree To Extension

June 14th, 2017 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles and Jason Peters have agreed to an extension, per a team announcement. It’s a one-year addition that should keep the left tackle in Philadelphia through the 2019 season. Jason Peters

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Peters told reporters on Tuesday that he wanted a restructured contract. What he didn’t tell the media was that his reps and the Eagles were apparently on the doorstep of getting something done.

Originally, Peters’ contract took him through 2018 with little in the way of guaranteed money. Now, he has $15.5MM in guarantees over the next three years and can earn a maximum of $32.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). As a part of that $15.5MM in guarantees, $8MM will come in the form of a signing bonus. The new contract may allow Peters to retire with the Eagles. Meanwhile, the team may get some cap relief.

In 2016, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the NFL. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. For his career, he has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.

Jason Peters Wants Restructured Contract

June 13th, 2017 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday morning, left tackle Jason Peters strongly hinted to reporters that he wants the Eagles to restructure his contract (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Peters explained that he doesn’t want to have to worry about getting cut as he enters each year of his contract and also expressed a desire to retire as a member of the Eagles.Jason Peters (vertical)

Earlier this offseason, the Eagles approached Peters about taking a pay cut. Those talks were not fruitful, but the Eagles opted to keep him at a base salary of $10.45MM (per Over The Cap) rather than replace him.

The 35-year-old has solid comp over the next two seasons, but he has little in the way of certainty. In 2017, he’s slated to carry a $11.7MM cap number. Next year, he’ll have an $11.25MM cap figure, but the Eagles would be left with just $1MM in dead money if they choose to release him.

Peters doesn’t have leverage, per se, but the two sides could come to terms on a reworked contract that benefits everyone. A revised deal could see Peters take a cut in base salary in the next two years in exchange for a bump in guaranteed money or even years.

Last season, Pro Football Focus placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the entire league. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. For his career, he has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.

OL Notes: Colts, Peters, Giants, Falcons

June 10th, 2017 at 7:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jim Irsay is generally unafraid to make bold statements, and the longtime Colts owner made another recently by proclaiming the team’s embattled offensive line as “fixed.” Andrew Luck took the second-most hits of any quarterback last season at 128 despite missing a game due to a concussion. The team also allowed the fifth-most sacks with 46. Luck missed nine games in 2015 with a shoulder injury and absorbed plenty of hits before that season-ending malady. And the Colts did not make any big additions this offseason, former Titans starter Brian Schwenke‘s one-year deal notwithstanding.

“Let me say this: The offensive line is fixed,” Irsay said, via Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “I’m telling you guys, the offensive line is fixed. The reason I’ll tell you it’s fixed is because (former Colts offensive line coach) Howard Mudd told me it’s fixed. If Howard Mudd tells you it’s fixed, trust me, it’s fixed.”

The Colts do return an entrenched left side of the line in Anthony Castonzo, Jack Mewhort and Ryan Kelly. Wells projects Joe Haeg to start at right guard and Le’Raven Clark to man right tackle. Irsay added the team may be ready to run more in 2017. Indianapolis did add fourth-round running back Marlon Mack and UFA Christine Michael to join Frank Gore. The Colts ranked 16th with 25.6 rushing attempts per game last season.

“We’ve worked hard to bring in the right type of players (on the offensive line),” Irsay said. “We’re ready to run the football and protect Andrew.”

Here’s the latest news on some other offensive lines, moving first to the Eagles’.

  • Jason Peters did not attend the Eagles‘ OTA sessions but will be back for minicamp, Bob Ford of Philly.com notes. Lane Johnson worked at left tackle in the 35-year-old’s stead. Peters will be back with the team despite the Eagles approaching him about a paycut in February and the sides not agreeing on one. Ford notes Johnson is expected to slide over to the left side after Peters’ Philadelphia tenure concludes.
  • The Giants‘ tackle situation is not as enviable, but a consensus appears to be forming. Big Blue seems to agree with the Chargers’ coaching staffs of the past two years. D.J. Fluker did not play right tackle during OTAs, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes, focusing strictly on guard duty. Even after Bobby Hart was absent during the team’s final OTA sessions, sixth-round rookie Adam Bisnowaty took first-team reps instead of Fluker on the right edge, Raanan writes. Fluker played right tackle during his first two seasons in San Diego, but the Giants are going with Hart — a 2015 seventh-round pick — right now. This means Fluker may have a tougher time auditioning, barring injury, for a long-term contract with the Giants re-signing holdover right guard John Jerry. Fluker is signed to a one-year deal.
  • Ben Garland may be ready to stick on one side of the ball this season and will probably see time in consecutive seasons for the first time in his career. Used on defense as well during the Falcons‘ NFC championship season, Garland will battle Wes Schweitzer for the right guard job vacated by Chris Chester, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Schweitzer was a sixth-round pick last year who did not suit up as a rookie. Ledbetter notes the 29-year-old Garland may have a slight upper hand going into minicamp. Garland’s previous opportunity to vie for a starting job ended quickly, with the 2015 Broncos bringing in Evan Mathis midway through training camp after Garland worked with Denver’s first-stringers at that camp’s outset. Garland, though, played in all 19 Falcons games last season after spending most of the ’15 season on Atlanta’s practice squad.

East Rumors: Brady, Eagles, Hackenberg

May 21st, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com says Tom Brady will have to address his wife’s recent comments about his alleged concussions at some point soon. It appears that, if Brady has suffered concussions, he never told the Patriots, so the club will not face discipline for failing to note his concussions on injury reports. Interestingly, Brady’s agent, Don Yee, recently said that Brady “was not diagnosed” with a concussion last year, which is quite different than saying he did not actually suffer one.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe makes the common sense point that Brady has of course suffered a few concussions over the course of his 17-year career, and that he, like many before him, has simply done whatever he can to conceal them from his team, both out of a sense of pride and out of a desire to not miss any time.

Now for more from the league’s east divisions:

  • Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com looks at the Eagles‘ 2018 salary cap situation, and while the team is currently projected to have limited cap room again, there are plenty of options to free up some space. For instance, the club is likely to release Jason Peters, and may even consider releasing Brandon Graham if Derek Barnett and Vinny Curry do well in 2017.
  • The Eagles‘ recent signing of LeGarrette Blount will likely force UDFA Corey Clement, who had a real chance of cracking the 53-man roster as the club’s resident big-body back, to the taxi squad, as Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. Zangaro predicts the club will carry four backs on their roster heading into 2017, including Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles, and Donnel Pumphrey. We learned yesterday that Philadelphia was interested in drafting both Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook, but that the price to move up in Rounds 1-2 to be in range to select them was too steep.
  • The Jets‘ QB competition will be the story to watch at the team’s OTAs over the next several weeks, though Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, like most other writers, believes it would be a surprise if Josh McCown is not the team’s Week 1 starter. Head coach Todd Bowles wants to identify a presumptive starter before training camp in order to give that player the majority of first-team reps in camp, and McCown is likely to prevail over the untested youngsters Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, Cimini is especially bearish on Hackenberg, who does not fit OC John Morton‘s West Coast offense.
  • James Kratch of NJ.com looks at some of the Giants‘ high-profile players who are entering their contract years and what their long-term outlook with the club looks like. Kratch says an extension for Justin Pugh will not happen, and that Big Blue is either going to have to pony up big bucks for a multi-year deal next offseason or else slap Pugh with the franchise tag. Kratch believes an extension is slightly more likely for Weston Richburg, but that it is still a remote possibility, and if Richburg returns to form in 2017, he could set himself up for an Alex Mack-level payday.

Eagles To Retain Jason Peters

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

Despite some speculation to the contrary, left tackle Jason Peters will be back with the Eagles in 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Peters was is set to earn a $9.95MM base salary in the coming year, according to Rapoport, though Over The Cap has his base pay listed as $10.45MM. Jason Peters (vertical)

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Earlier this month, the Eagles approached Peters about taking a pay cut. Apparently, those talks were not fruitful, but the Eagles are still willing to keep Peters at his current salary. The 35-year-old may be pricey, but he is still one of the best tackles in the game. Last season, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the entire league. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. In short: Peters is as good as ever and the Eagles are unwilling to leave Carson Wentz‘s blindside exposed.

For his career, Peters has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.

Eagles Ask Jason Peters About Pay Cut

February 7th, 2017 at 9:20pm CST by Ben Levine

There were reports in late January that the Eagles would be looking to reduce some of their 2017 cap obligations, and we’ve received some clarity on their strategy. According to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via ESPN.com’s Tim McManus), the organization has approached left tackle Jason Peters about taking a pay cut.

Jason PetersThe 35-year-old is set to earn a base salary of $10.45MM in 2017, and his $11.7MM cap number is the highest on the team. That number would rank 10th in the league among offensive lineman, while his base salary would rank fifth (behind Travis Frederick, Trent Williams, Tyron Smith, and Ryan Clady‘s hypothetical team option). The lineman originally joined the Eagles via a trade with the Bills in 2009, and he inked a five-year, $51.3MM contract ($19.55MM guaranteed) in 2014. The lineman is set to make another $10MM in 2018.

The former undrafted free agent has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro, but the veteran has predictably lost a step after having played 12 seasons in the NFL. As McManus notes, Peters led the NFL with 10 false starts this past season. However, the lineman seemed to return to form following a mediocre 2015 campaign where he missed a handful of games. Furthermore, the team’s desire to keep young quarterback Carson Wentz upright could prevent the front office from outright releasing Peters.

“You can ask [Peters] nicely to consider taking a pay cut. If he doesn’t, what are you going to do?” former agent Joel Corry told McManus. “You’re not going to release him and create another hole. You’d save $9.7 million on the cap, but would the ends justify the means with him? You really need him at this point.”

The Eagles currently have $169MM committed to their 2017 squad, leaving them with only $7.4MM in space heading into this offseason. The recent report by Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice indicated that Peters wouldn’t be receptive to a pay cut, so the organization may have to pursue other ways to clear money off of their cap.

NFC Notes: Ngata, Eagles, Cowboys

January 7th, 2017 at 11:05am CST by Ben Levine

Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata may have set several career-lows this past season, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes that the veteran intends to keep playing in 2017.

“It’s year to year for me — I’m up there in age — but I still love playing,” Ngata said. “Still love the game, love the guys and coaches. And so I love playing. Definitely looking forward to playing another year.”

The 32-year-old was traded to the Lions prior to the 2015 season, and he’s combined for 27 games over the past two years. Ngata finished the 2016 campaign with 22 tackles, 1.5 sack, and three passes defended. The defensive lineman has one year remaining on his contract.

Let’s check out some other notes from around the NFC…

  • Top Eagles exec Howie Roseman told reporters that the team wants to bring Jason Peters back (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). He did not specify whether the team would be willing to bring the veteran back at his current salary or whether he’d still be the team’s starting left tackle. The presence of embattled lineman Lane Johnson complicates Peters’ future position on the team.
  • The Eagles worked out wideout Bryan Burnham, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The 26-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing for the BC Lions of the CFL. He finished the 2016 campaign with 79 receptions for 1,392 yards and six touchdowns.
  • Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaylon Smith believes he’ll be playing in 2017, writes ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. The second-round pick missed the entire 2016 season as he recovered from a serious knee injury. This news didn’t surprise the Cowboys coaching staff. “He’s worked very hard at it and doesn’t surprise us one bit,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “One of the reasons he was so attractive to us as a player is just the approach that he’s taking. Those were the reports from the people around him for three years at Notre Dame and that’s been our experience with him. Obviously he had a serious knee injury last year, but we felt like, ‘Hey, if anybody can come back from this, this is the guy who can.’ He’s got an incredible attitude, always upbeat, always positive, always working very hard.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Bears, Eagles, Cards

December 21st, 2016 at 7:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Multiple concussions have felled superstar Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly this season, though the 25-year-old unsurprisingly told media Wednesday that he isn’t mulling retirement. “I’m holding off that retirement word for a little ways down the road,” he said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “It’s something you appreciate everybody concerned with how you’re doing, but whenever my opportunity comes back I’ll be back out there.” Kuechly has recovered from the concussion that he suffered Nov. 17, but the Panthers haven’t cleared him to return to action. Considering they’re 6-8 and all but out of playoff contention, it would behoove the defending NFC champions to keep Kuechly out until next season.

More from the NFC:

  • The Bears designated cornerback Kyle Fuller to return from injured reserve last month, but it turns out they won’t activate him, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. There’s now a belief within the organization – including from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio – that Fuller wasn’t eager to come back this season from August knee surgery, per Biggs. Head coach John Fox addressed that, saying, “That’s hard to measure. Looking inside people is not real easy.” The likelihood now is that Fuller – a 2014 first-round pick – has played his final game with the organization, suggests Biggs, who notes that the Bears would take a late-round choice for him. Fuller, who appeared in all 32 games (30 starts) in his first two years and racked up six interceptions, is under contract next season for a relative pittance ($1.74MM-plus). He’s also controllable for 2018 by way of a fifth-year option, but it’s likely his employer – whether it’s the Bears or another team – will decline to exercise it by next spring’s deadline.
  • After Eagles left tackle Jason Peters earned his ninth Pro Bowl selection Tuesday, head coach Doug Pederson spoke out against the idea that the soon-to-be 35-year-old could be an offseason cap casualty. “I love him,’’ Pederson said (per Paul Domowitch of Philly.com). “I want him on the team. I don’t want him to go anywhere. I want him to be an Eagle for the rest of his career. Once we get through these next two games, we’ll address all of that.” Notably, Howie Roseman – not Pederson – has final say when it comes to the Eagles’ roster. Further, releasing Peters in order to avail the left tackle position for well-compensated right tackle Lane Johnson would free up $9.2MM in cap space against $2MM in dead money next year. Moving on from Peters would also significantly weaken the Eagles’ line, though, evidenced by his ninth-place ranking among 79 qualifying tackles at Pro Football Focus.
  • The Cardinals have an impressive class of 2017 free agents on the horizon, and general manager Steve Keim says he’s already touched base with the agents for many of those players, a list that includes Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, Tony Jefferson, Andre Ellington, and Jermaine Gresham, among others. “One thing public does not generally know, we have spoken to many agents regarding players whose contracts expire after the season and some whose contracts do not expire after the season that we’d just like to try to extend,” Keim told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “There are several players we’d like to have back, but it takes two sides.”
  • The Packers worked out former Aggies punter Taylor Symmank on Wednesday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers plan to sign former Texas kicker Nick Rose to a reserve-future deal in the the offseason, tweets Wilson.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Norman, Panthers, Falcons

December 16th, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from the NFC:

  • The Eagles can’t let impending free agent defensive tackle Bennie Logan get away in the offseason, opines Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. Logan could land $10MM per year on his next contract, writes Domowitch, and an NFL executive told him the Eagles will have to make a sacrifice elsewhere on their roster to retain him. “It would be an unusual allocation of assets,” he said, alluding to the fact that the Eagles already have an expensive D-tackle in Fletcher Cox. “But you could sit down and make it work on paper if you really felt it was that important.” That could mean releasing stalwart left tackle Jason Peters, who’s eight years older than Logan (34 to 26). Cutting Peters would save Philadelphia $9.2MM in 2017, though it would subtract a highly valuable O-lineman from its roster at the same time. “It’s going to be more of a player personnel decision than a cap decision for them with Peters,” the executive said. “If they think somebody like (Halapoulivaati) Vaitai can be a solid right tackle, or they think they can get one without giving up too much, then maybe you flip (Lane) Johnson over to the left side and let Peters go.” Of course, the Eagles are already paying Johnson left tackle-type money on account of the extension he signed last January.
  • Speaking to Charlotte-based media earlier this week, Redskins cornerback Josh Norman revealed he was “salty” after the Panthers pulled the franchise tag off him last April and likened it to a stab in the back (via Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today). However, the 29-year-old added that feels “no animosity” toward the Panthers, with whom he spent the first four years of his career after they took him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. While Carolina was the reigning NFC champion at the time it cut ties with Norman, it’s now 5-8 and all but out of the playoff picture. The Redskins are very much alive at 7-5-1, on the other hand, and have gotten plenty of help from Norman – Pro Football Focus’ 19th-ranked corner – in the first season of his five-year, $75MM deal. The Panthers will try to spoil the postseason hopes of Norman and the Redskins when the clubs meet in Washington on Monday.
  • The Falcons will go without all-world wide receiver Julio Jones this Sunday against the 49ers because of a sprained toe, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. Atlanta didn’t have Jones last week, either, but it still managed to beat the lowly Rams by four touchdowns. San Francisco has lost 12 in a row since a Week 1 win, so the Jones-less Falcons look poised to improve to 9-5 and remain atop the NFC South.

East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Brady, Bills

July 5th, 2016 at 10:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Although Jason Peters continued his upper-echelon play for the Eagles in 2015 and overall under Chip Kelly the past three seasons, he did not enjoy the offense’s frenetic pace in this period, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. The belief within the Eagles is Peters, who will be one of the oldest offensive linemen in the league at age 34, can deliver superior production in Doug Pederson‘s more methodical attack in which the 13th-year player thrived previously.

Peters has booked eight Pro Bowls in his past eight healthy seasons and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 overall tackle last season on the strength of his run-blocking efforts. Shorr-Parks points out, however, the Eagles will need to find an heir apparent quickly if Peters looks slower or struggles with injuries in camp.

As Roster Resource shows, the Eagles are fairly deep at their interior-line spots but thin at tackle, so Peters continuing to play at a high level in ’16 looks imperative for the Birds.

Here’s more from the Eagles, as well as the latest from other eastern locales.

  • Leodis McKelvin‘s Philadelphia emergence appears to be quite real, with Shorr-Parks writing the former Bills return specialist is expected to be the Eagles’ No. 1 corner. Nolan Carroll and Ron Brooks look like the primary contenders to start opposite McKelvin in Jim Schwartz‘s system. Carroll started 11 games for the Eagles last season, with Brooks being yet another Schwartz disciple from Buffalo.
  • The Cowboys gave wide receiver Andy Jones their biggest signing bonus among their UDFA contingent this offseason at $15K, Rob Phillips of Cowboys.com notes. Dallas placed a draftable grade on Jones, whom Phillips opines could snare a roster spot as a backup. A Jacksonville University cog, Jones caught 144 passes for 2,120 yards at the Division I-FCS level and ventures into a Cowboys wideout corps largely unchanged from 2015.
  • Tom Brady has contended he intends to play well into his 40s, and James Walker of ESPN.com envisions that likely based on what the Patriots 17th-year quarterback has shown as he’s moved into his late 30s. Walker sees the now-39-year-old Brady playing three more seasons at a high level but offers he won’t make it much farther if he continues to absorb the kind of punishment he took last season. New England permitted its franchise icon to be sacked 38 times in 2015 after allowing just 21 in ’14.
  • Missing the Bills‘ offseason program in order to train for a potential Olympic bid hurt Marquise Goodwin‘s chances of making the team for a fourth season, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes. The backup wide receiver candidate who finished seventh in a loaded long jump competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials attended Bills minicamp but only as an observer. Carucci notes that Rex Ryan‘s previous speed preferences may not give the 25-year-old the edge against wideouts like Leonard Hankerson or Greg Salas who spent time developing a rapport with Tyrod Taylor.
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