The Philadelphia Eagles enter a very crucial offseason with a plethora of questions to be answered all over the roster. The answer to a lot of those questions will revolve around the Eagles financial situation and how they will navigate the muddy waters created by past mistakes. It’s been widely reported and discussed that the Eagles will be cap strapped headed into the monumental 2021 offseason. Let’s dive in to the Eagles cap situation and explore routes that can restore the Eagles cap flexibility. All numbers and figures in this article will be according to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/philadelphia-eagles/. I’m no cap expert by any means and you can verify all my calculations on Over The Cap.
Path #1: Trading Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz
The Philly rumor mill has been running amok the second half of the season and Carson Wentz has been at the epicenter of it. There’s been a ton of smoke surrounding Wentz and his uncertain future in Philadelphia. The main question to be answered this offseason is the one at Quarterback and if Carson Wentz relationship with the Eagles can be salvaged. If the relationship can’t be repaired and the Wentz trade rumors come to fruition then Carson will be another team for the 2021 season. Zach Ertz also was involved in trade rumors at the 2020 deadline and is reportedly unhappy with this contract. He could be another potential trade candidate if Philly looks to usher in a new era. Let’s take a look at what our cap situation would be like in the event both of these happen.
As you can see from the picture above, the Eagles cap situation is not ideal heading into the 2021 offseason as we are in the negative by 70 million dollars. League sources expect the cap to also go down due to the Corona virus pandemic which resulted in a lack of league revenue during the 2020 season. It’s still unknown how much the cap will go down by so I’m going to try and get the Eagles a cushion with my calculations.
I was able to secure the Eagles 16 million dollars in cap space by doing the following moves;
Traded (players highlighted in yellow): Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz
Restructured (players highlighted in green): Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Darius Slay, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo and Rodney McLeod
Cut (players highlighted in red): Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson, DeSean Jackson, Derek Barnett and Marquise Goodwin. Marquise didn’t fit in the photo so that’s why he is not pictured above.
The Eagles will have to be careful with their restructures though as it could backfire on them like it has in the past with Alshon Jeffery. I tried to keep the restructuring contained to players I think will remain a key piece to the Eagles puzzle for the next 2-3 years. I don’t know if 16 million in cap space will be enough with the cap expected to go down but it at least puts the Eagles in a better position then where we started.
Path #2: Keeping Carson Wentz
In this scenario, the Eagles are able to mend the relationship with one of their stars who is rumored to be disgruntled. The Eagles trading Carson doesn’t really put them in a better financial situation, it actually hurts their flexibility for the 2021 offseason. The Eagles would find it in their best interest to work things out with their former starting QB. Let’s dive into the Eagles cap situation while keeping Carson Wentz this offseason.
I was able to secure the Eagles 34 million dollars in cap space by doing the following moves;
Traded (players highlighted in yellow): Zach Ertz
Restructured (players highlighted in green): Carson Wentz, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Darius Slay, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo and Rodney McLeod
Cut (players highlighted in red): Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson, DeSean Jackson, Derek Barnett and Marquise Goodwin. Marquise didn’t fit in the photo so that’s why he is not pictured above.
If you wondered why the Eagles cap space jumped so significantly, it’s because I took a significant risk and restructured Carson Wentz contract. If the Eagles do decide to keep Carson, they could double down on the QB by restructuring his contract. The move wouldn’t come without risks though as Carson had a very poor 2020 campaign. There are plenty of questions on whether he can return to form and be the guy the Eagles thought they were extending. However, the $34 million in cap space after restructuring him could go a long way. If he fails to regain his form though, that restructure could become a huge mistake for the Eagles.
Howie Roseman and company will have to make some tough decisions this offseason regarding the roster. They will have to weigh the pros and cons of each move while also taking into account potential trade wishes from key players. A lot of fans, including myself, have called for Roseman’s job after key mistakes in both the draft and free agency. It won’t be easy but Howie Roseman can start to win fans back with a big 2021 offseason.
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