Nick Piccone
While some people made a big deal about Fletcher Cox missing voluntary Eagles OTAs, most were quiet on the Jason Peters front. There were a couple reasons: Peters is a perennial Pro Bowler, future Hall of Famer, and continues to play at a high level each season.
Fletcher Cox, fresh off a new, highly paid contract, had a less than stellar season in 2016. He basically had a target on his back the moment he inked his extension with the Birds.
This offseason, the Eagles reportedly requested that Jason Peters take a pay cut. That didn’t go anywhere. Now, Peters, who spoke to reporters this morning, “indicated” he wants the team to restructure his contract and give him some security throughout the rest of his career.
Jason Peters indicated he wants #Eagles to restructure contract so he doesn't have to worry about getting cut each yr and to retire an Eagle
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) June 13, 2017
Instead of cutting him, the Eagles decided to keep Peters, who will make $10.45 million this year. The leverage seems to be on the Eagles’ side here, but I don’t think they’d do Peters dirty. With a cap hit of $11.7 million this season and $11.25 million next season, the Eagles could release him and only have $1 million in dead money, according to OverTheCap.com.
Guaranteed money seems to always come into play in these types of situations, so I look for the Eagles to guarantee Peters more money up front as the restructure helps the team alleviate cap pressure.
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