As the NFL offseason kicks into high gear, we’re tracking all the latest Eagles rumors and reports in one place.
The NFL’s negotiating window begins at noon on March 14 and the league year opens at 4 p.m. on March 16.
Here’s all the latest:
Cross Williams off the list
The biggest free agent safety has found a new home but it’s not in Philly. Saints free agent safety Marcus Williams is joining the Ravens on a five-year, $70 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
That’s major money for Williams, who becomes the seventh-highest paid safety in the NFL.
With Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris potentially leaving in free agency, the safety position is an obvious need for the Eagles. But this deal for Williams was likely out of their price range for the position.
With Williams, Justin Reid and Quandre Diggs off the market, options are becoming a little more limited for the Eagles. The top safety left on the market is Tyrann Mathieu, who is expected to find a new home soon. There’s also 25-year-old Jordan Whitehead, who is an intriguing option.
Another option for the Eagles could be 29-year-old Marcus Maye, who is coming off an Achilles injury but played under Eagles DBs coach Dennard Wilson with the Jets. It’s also possible that the Eagles could bring back McLeod at some point.
Cowboys NOT keeping Gregory
The Cowboys were closing in on a deal to re-sign 29-year-old pass rusher Randy Gregory on a one-year deal worth about $13 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
But then things apparently changed. And now he’s signing with the Broncos.
Wow.
Gregory’s a good player, but he’s only got 16 1/2 sacks in 50 games over parts of five seasons. But he’s a talented player who will be leaving the division now.
Gregory, originally the Cowboys’ 2nd-round pick in 2015, has been suspended four times for various violations related to the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but he had six sacks in 12 games last year, missing four with a calf injury. That would probably explain some of that language in the contract.
Of Gregory’s 16 1/2 career sacks, 4 1/2 have been against the Eagles. That’s 5th-most against the Eagles since 2016.
Sleeper team emerges for Watson
Since last Friday when we found out that Deshaun Watson would not face criminal charges, things have been moving along in his quest to be traded from the Texans. And now there’s a new team entering the mix.
Earlier this week, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle said Watson has “rejected everybody but Carolina and New Orleans,” which is important because Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Since then, the Browns have become involved in the discussion surrounding Watson and now it appears the Falcons are getting into the mix as well. Longtime Falcons starter Matt Ryan is 36 and will enter his 15th NFL season in 2022.
The Eagles have previously done homework on Watson and his situation in Houston and the 22 civil cases against him alleging sexual harassment and assault. Put that in the category of due diligence.
For now, the Eagles seem content with starting Jalen Hurts in 2022 and another team entering the Watson sweepstakes won’t change that.
Hooker returns to Dallas
Safety Malik Hooker is returning to the Cowboys on a two-year, $8 million deal, according to ESPN.
This is relevant for two reasons. One, Hooker is staying in the division with the Cowboys. In 2021, he rebounded from an injury that ended his 2020 season early and played in 15 games with three starts (44% of their defensive snaps).
But, perhaps more importantly, Hooker has some familiarity with the Eagles coaching staff and he isn’t coming here. The Eagles need to figure out their safety position this offseason because Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris are both free agents. Hooker began his career in Indianapolis and while things didn’t go great there for the former No. 15 overall pick, he did play for a team with Nick Sirianni and Jonathan Gannon on the coaching staff for three years.
Well, now Hooker is off the market. The Eagles still have a chance to land a safety. Perhaps another guy with connections to the staff, Marcus Maye, might interest them at a bargain.
Another WR option gone
After seeing some astronomical prices for receivers on Day 1 of free agency, there’s already another potential top target off the board. This time, the Lions agreed to a one-year deal with D.J. Chark worth $10 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network.
Chark, 25, just finished his fourth NFL season as a second-rounder back in 2018. With the Jaguars, Chark was a Pro Bowler and had a 1,000-yard season back in 2019. He had a good year in 2020 but managed to play just four games in 2021 and had just seven catches before an ankle injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. So this is a one-year, prove-it deal for Chark in Detroit. And it’s not worth much more than the one-year deal the Eagles gave to Alshon Jeffery (1 year/$9.5 million) back in 2017.
And Chark had a connection to the Eagles. Dave Caldwell, who is a personnel executive with the Eagles, was the GM in Jacksonville when they selected Chark in 2018.
The wide receiver market is drying up less than 24 hours into free agency, but the Eagles still have a few options out there if they want to add a veteran. Adding a more experienced player to that young receivers room would probably help.
Heck, back in February, even DeVonta Smith said he thought having a veteran receiver as a teammate would help him. We’ll find out soon enough if that comes to fruition.
Eagles won’t get Reid
Justin Reid, the Texans’ 25-year-old free agent safety, would have made a lot of sense for the safety-desperate Eagles, but Reid and the Chiefs agreed to terms of a contract Monday evening, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the deal is worth $31.5 million over three years with a $20 million signing bonus. It means Tyrann Mathieu’s stay with the Chiefs is over after 13 interceptions, three Pro Bowls and one 1st-team all-pro in three seasons in Kansas City.
With Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris both now free agents, the only safeties the Eagles have under contract are Marcus Epps, K’Von Wallace and Jared Mayden.
Reid, the Texans’ 3rd-round pick out of Stanford in 2018, started 53 games in four seasons in Houston and had seven interceptions and averaged 78 tackles per season.
Pederson gets another NFC East player
Doug Pederson is doing the Eagles a favor. He’s trying to get all the good players out of the NFC East. First, the Jaguars agreed to terms with former Washington guard Brandon Scherff.
Now, the Jags are bringing in former Giants TE Evan Engram. According to ESPN, it’s a one-year, $9 million deal for Engram in Jacksonville.
Engram, 27, has been in the league since 2017 and while he hasn’t become the perennial Pro Bowler some expected, he’s still pretty good. In 2020, he actually was a Pro Bowler with a 63/654/1 season. In 2021, he had 46/408/3.
Watson market crystallizing
The Houston Chronicle’s Texans insider John McClain, the most plugged-in reporter who covers the Texans by a country mile, joined Charlotte sports radio station WFNZ on Monday to talk Deshaun Watson and the Panthers, who are considered the leading team chasing a Watson trade.
The Eagles have reportedly been monitoring the situation, and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly gave the front office the “green light” to pursue a trade at one point last year, but McClain made it pretty clear that Watson does not want to play for the Eagles:
Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, which means unless he suddenly has a change of heart about his preferred destinations there’s no way for the Texans to send him to Philadelphia even if Howie Roseman offers by far the best trade package.
Cowboys lose Wilson
Cedrick Wilson, who’s started four games in his NFL career and caught just 67 passes, has agreed to a three-year deal with the Dolphins, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that it’s worth $22.8 million with $12.75 million guaranteed.
Wilson, originally a 6th-round pick out of Boise State in 2018, had a career-high 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ meaningless year-end win over the Eagles at the Linc in January.
The 26-year-old Wilson missed his entire rookie year with a torn labrum and played only 302 snaps on offense in 2019 and 2020 and caught just 22 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. He finally got into the Cowboys’ WR rotation this past year and had 45 catches for 602 yards and six TDs.
Mo Alie-Cox staying in Indy
Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox is reportedly re-signing with the Colts, according to NFL Network.
Alie-Cox, 28, would have made some sense for the Eagles given his connections to this coaching staff. Alie-Cox has played for Nick Sirianni and tight ends coach Jason Michael before. In fact, it was Michael who helped turn Alie-Cox, the former VCU basketball player, into a legitimate NFL tight end.
Last season, Alie-Cox had 24 catches for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns and that came after a 31/394/2 season in 2020.
The Eagles have a sneaky need at tight end. While they’re set with Dallas Goedert at TE1, they used UDFA Jack Stoll as their TE2 for the second half of last season. While Stoll was a solid blocker, he had just four catches in his rookie season. And TE3 Tyree Jackson won’t be ready for a while after tearing his ACL in Week 18.
Potential Eagles target goes to Doug
The Eagles should be in the market for a receiver this offseason but one of their potential targets is going to Doug Pederson and the Jaguars instead.
Free agent receiver Christian Kirk is heading to Jacksonville, according to multiple reports. But if you’re wondering why the Eagles didn’t make this happen. Well … Kirk got paid. According to NFL Network, the deal is worth $72 million over four years and can be worth up to $84 million.
That’s a ton of money for a predominantly slot receiver. But the Jaguars have it to spend and the Eagles are in a tighter situation.
Still, there’s still a decent chance the Eagles add a receiver in free agency at some point.
Eagles land Reddick
The Eagles made a huge splash on Monday, agreeing to a three-year deal to bring Haason Reddick home. The Camden native and Temple product gets a three-year, $45 million deal with the Eagles.
More here.
Sid staying put
Sidney Jones, the Eagles’ 2nd-round pick in 2017, is re-signing with the Seahawks, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. No word on terms of the deal. Jones, still only 25, was due to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Eagles made Jones the 43rd overall pick in 2017 even though he blew out his Achilles in his pro day. He didn’t play until the last day of the regular season his rookie year and then struggled through two sub-par injury-plagued seasons with the Eagles in 2018 and 2019, playing in just 21 games and starting only eight. He had his only two interceptions as an Eagle in 2019.
The Eagles released both Jones and the other cornerback they drafted in 2017, 3rd-round pick Rasul Douglas, as part of final cutdown day in 2000. Jones began 2020 on the Jaguars’ practice squad but wound up playing in nine games, starting six games with two INTs. The Jags traded Jones to the Seahawks for a 2022 6th-round pick just before last year began.
Jones wound up playing in all 16 games for Seattle after playing in just 31 games his first four seasons, starting 11. He didn’t have any INTs but did have 10 pass knockdowns.
Douglas, who had five interceptions and two pick-6’s in 12 games for the Packers last year, is a free agent.
Scherff heading to Jacksonville
One of the best offensive linemen in the NFC East is leaving the division. Former Washington Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff is going to Jacksonville, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
So Doug Pederson is getting a good offensive lineman and Carson Wentz is losing one.
Scherff has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons but when he’s on the field, few are better. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2020. Scherff hasn’t played in more than 13 games in a season over the last four years.
A top safety off the market
With Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris both pending free agents, the Eagles have an obvious need at the position. There are several top safeties hitting the open market this year but one is off the list.
The Seahawks are re-signing Quandre Diggs to a three-year, $40 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Even with Diggs unavailable, there are still plenty of high-profile safeties about to become free agents if the Eagles want to make a splash. Marcus Williams from New Orleans will probably be the biggest money-maker, but keep an eye on Justin Reid from Houston. Reid is still just 25. He hasn’t played at his highest level in recent years but could still become a Pro Bowler in his next contract.
And … another one:
Eagles connected to JuJu again
The Eagles could really use a veteran receiver and one they keep getting connected to is Steelers slot receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Eagles reportedly had interest in Smith-Schuster last offseason before he decided to re-join the Steelers on a one-year, $8 million deal.
Here’s the latest from Jordan Schultz, who calls the Eagles and the Jaguars “dark horse teams” to sign Smith-Schuster:
Smith-Schuster was very young when he was drafted in the second round out of USC back in 2017. So he’s played five years in the NFL and just turned 25 back in November. That will be attractive to the Eagles.
On that one-year deal in 2021, Smith-Schuster played in just five games before suffering a shoulder injury that needed surgery. In those five games he had just 15 catches for 129 yards. But don’t expect that to limit his price too much in free agency. Because Smith-Schuster was a Pro Bowler with over 1,400 yards back in 2018 and in 2020 he had 97 catches for 831 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Smith-Schuster (6-1, 215) has played the majority of his NFL snaps as a slot receiver but has gotten work outside too. Many folks have tried to link the Eagles with an elite outside receiver to pair with DeVonta Smith but the Eagles could use a top-notch slot guy too.
While they’re high on Quez Watkins, the former sixth-round pick before last season was viewed as an outside receiver. So even if Watkins is in their long-term plans it could be at either position. That flexibility allows the Eagles to go into their search for another wideout without worrying about position.
Cowboys lock up Gallup
The Cowboys traded Amari Cooper this weekend to dump his salary in an attempt to re-sign pending free agents Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson. Well, they were able to lock up Gallup to a big deal on Sunday night.
According to NFL Network, Gallup is getting a five-year, $62.5 million deal from the Cowboys.
Ertz staying put
Eagles legend Zach Ertz is reportedly getting a three-year extension to stay with the Cardinals. The Eagles traded Ertz to the Cards last October for a fifth-round draft pick and cornerback Tay Gowan. The trade worked out for both sides. Ertz got to be a No. 1 tight end again and Dallas Goedert got to assume that role by himself in Philly.
More on that move here.
Teams make offers for Watson
After Friday’s news that Deshaun Watson will not be facing criminal charges, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before the Texans trade their star quarterback.
And on Sunday morning, NFL Network reported that a couple teams have already made offers.
So go ahead and put the Saints and Panthers at the top of the list of likely destinations for Watson. The Eagles reportedly put in some legwork on Watson last year, checking out the situation. While they have said publicly that they are backing Jalen Hurts going into 2022, the Eagles are never shy about due diligence. So perhaps they are one of the other teams “involved” as Rapoport mentioned.
The NFL league year begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday so no trade can become official until then. But that won’t stop this process from potentially playing out before then.
Panthers to take a swing
After news that Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges, a report from ESPN in Carolina says the anthers will make an “aggressive” trade offer for the Pro Bowl quarterback.
If the Eagles end up in the Watson sweepstakes — they have publicly backed Jalen Hurts multiple times — then the Panthers might be their top competition.
It’s important to remember that just because Watson won’t face criminal charges, the NFL can still suspend him if it finds he violated the personal conduct policy. That seems very possible.
Watson won’t face criminal charges
It’s not a direct rumor about the Eagles, but news broke late Friday afternoon that Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges after a hearing in Harris County, Texas over nine charges of sexual assault and sexual harassment:
The Eagles have long been rumored to have interest in trading for Watson if his legal matters were resolved. The Eagles have more trade capital than just about any team in the NFL.
Watson, however, has a no-trade clause in his contract and can veto a move to a team he’s not interested in playing for, and buzz has persisted about Watson not being interested in the Eagles.
Interest in Jones
The Eagles will have a clear need for edge rushers this offseason and they are reportedly showing interest in one of the best in the NFL:
The problem here is that Jones won’t be cheap. He’s 32 now and is coming of his fourth Pro Bowl nod of his career. In 2021, Jones started 15 games with the Cardinals and had 10.5 sacks. In fact, he’s gone over 10 sacks in seven of his 10 NFL seasons, so there’s a long-standing history of success there.
Spotrac projects a contract worth $14.5 million annually for Jones. Would the Eagles be willing to pay that? We’ll see. But with Derek Barnett hitting free agency and with Brandon Graham 34 and coming off an Achilles injury, it’s an obvious need. It’s possible the Eagles will sign an edge player and then draft one pretty high too.
Calls on Cox
The Eagles nearly traded Fletcher Cox at last year’s trade deadline but ended up keeping him. Well, apparently, those calls haven’t stopped.
More on the possibility of a Cox trade here.
Amari Cooper no longer an option for Eagles
Amari Cooper is no longer an option for the Eagles. The Cowboys on Saturday agreed to trade the 27-year-old four-time Pro Bowl receiver along with a 6th-round pick to the Browns for 5th- and 6th-round picks, according to Adam Schefter.
Cooper has 517 catches and 7,076 yards with 46 TDs since the Raiders made him the fourth pick in 2015. Oakland traded him to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season.
Cooper had five 1,000-yard seasons in his first six years in the NFL but he was just 68-for-865 this past season, and the cap-strapped Cowboys didn’t hide their disappointment with him after the season. He’s on the books for $20 million base salaries in each of the next three seasons.
Trades can’t become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
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