How do the eagles have cap room?

[hockey878]

They look great now, but in 2 or 3 years they will have some major issues.

with asomugha, babin, they just signed cullen jenkins. All to pretty large deals. They look like a force now, but what about in two or three years? I dont see how they had the room to sigh these guys in the first place, but at really in within 3 years

They have to resign

Desean Jackson.... who is already holding out. BIG problems

Jeremy Maclin

Lesean McCoy

Rodgers-Cromartie

no way they will be able to resign more than 2 of them. I really think they are backing themselves into a cap corner. kinda like the titans 5 years ago. anyone who has more cap knowledged know exactly whats goin on here?

[Andy]

DRC and Desean are combined for 2.5M cap space. McCoy is about 1M and Maclin is 2.5M. They're all so low due to rookie contracts, but with the addition of Nnambi, it means that their getting rid of Asante Samuel, and maybe some of their O-line and 1 of those 4 guys you mentioned. They have to make some cuts

[eaglejoe8]

The Eagles had about $20 Million in cap room going in, and the deals they've signed really are not as big as they seem. Cullen for example signed a 5 year $25 Million deal, but according to LaConfora, or Lombardi, they can get out of it after 1 year, and it's basically a 1 year $4 Million deal. Nnamdi had been rumored to be seeking in the $18-$20 Million range, but he signed for an average of $12 Million a year. Babin's deal is also, like most NFL contracts, back loaded.

Joe Banner is typically hated by our fan base, (although better things have been said about him in the last 48 hours lol), but he has always been very good at structuring contracts, without hurting us for the future. Broderick Bunkley was also traded to Cleveland for a 5th round pick, which will clear some room as well. There will also likely be other cuts like Joselio Hanson, our nickleback, which will clear a little over $2 Million as well.

[21isSuperman]

If I remember right (and I could be very wrong), but Vick is franchised, so he is only under contract for 1 more year. If he has another strong season, he could demand a big payday and there will certainly be teams willing to pay for him

[eaglejoe8]

If I remember right (and I could be very wrong), but Vick is franchised, so he is only under contract for 1 more year. If he has another strong season, he could demand a big payday and there will certainly be teams willing to pay for him

He is playing under the Franchise Tag, but he is also expected to sign a long term deal, which will also alleviate some cap room for us.

[Jay]

Their O-line is already weak enough. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[bayone]

alot of whom they signed didnt cost as much as expected as are on north side of 30, its lets win now attitude

[hockey878]

yea i guess. but to me, when you have that much young talent on your team they are toeing a dangerous line. if jackson maclin mccoy all get away they will have ruined the future of this team, which seemed to be very bright.

[bayone]

So, how'd they do it? That's what everyone wants to know about the Philadelphia Eagles, right?

How did a team that already spends a fair amount on players come out of an uncapped year and into a fairly tightly capped year (the $123 million 2011 cap is roughly the same as the last capped year, in 2009), and then make a tremendous splash by landing top-of-the-market talent across various positions?

» Asomugha: 'A perfect fit'

Signing Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, Vince Young and acquiring Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for Kevin Kolb and a second-round pick, all in the matter of a few days? Come on. Guess team president Joe Banner and coach Andy Reid weren't kidding when they warned they would be aggressive after the lockout. It doesn't seem all that feasible, but it was, and the wheeling and dealing might not be over just yet. Speaking with people familiar with the Eagles' 2011 preparation reveals a well-crafted plan, resulting in low cap numbers for star players and ample wiggle room to manipulate the roster.

First, it took years of astute cap management in the past, keeping contracts smartly structured. It took a fair amount of patience, as well, waiting for the corner market and defensive tackle market to flatten out for instance and come in softer than many imagined. And then you couple that with the fact that the Eagles are perennially in the hunt, have a stable front office, a winning coach and star players like Michael Vick who others want to play with ... well, it all leads to a recipe for free agent/trade success.

Asomugha's signing took longer than many expected and the Eagles --, seeing he still had not selected a team as of Friday -- waded in late, knowing the Pro Bowl corner had strong interest in joining their organization. Jenkins was not getting near the $7 million per year some projected -- due largely to age and injury concerns -- and when division rivals Dallas bailed out and with New Orleans not meeting Jenkins' price, the Eagles swooped in late Saturday. The Eagles also knew Babin well from his time there before, and viewed him as a much cheaper pass-rushing alternative to Charles Johnson (Babin got about $6 million guaranteed and Johnson received $32 million from the Carolina Panthers).

So, let's take a look at the cap figures for the "Dream Team" arrivals (according to league sources), and compare it to their 2010 figures (yes, 2010 was uncapped, but by comparison this is what those players would have earned:

The NFL free agency cycle is in full effect, with teams and players agreeing to terms fast as training camps open. Get the latest on all the news right here.

» Asomugha -- $10M in 2011, $16M in 2010

» Jenkins-- $4M in 2011, $4.65M in 2010

» Young -- $4M in 2011, $14.2M in 2010

» Babin -- $5.3M in 2011, $1M in 2010 (was on one-year deal)

» Rodgers-Cromartie -- $2.1M in 2011 (has two years left on rookie deal; will get new deal)

(Important note: The Eagles can get out of all the free-agent contracts they brought in after 2011 with virtually no cap charges, except for the Asomugha deal.)

Couple that with the fact that the crux of the roster is signed for at least two to three more years, and you can understand why Reid was almost gushing about all of last week's accomplishments. Star receiver DeSean Jackson wants a new deal and is holding out; the new transition rules out of the lockout make it awfully difficult and expensive for players to holdout too long, and these sides don't seem close to an imminent resolution. So that bears watching.

But the future looks bright. The Eagles already have 11 picks stockpiled for 2012, including two second-round picks, two fours and two fives. And there could be more coming via a Samuel trade

My link

[UMLBB10]

when was the last time you saw a team end up in "cap jail?" it just doesnt happen anymore. there are so many creative ways around the accounting. you hear phrases like cap dollars vs real dollars, etc. you have to be an MIT grad to understand it all but i prety much think the cap is a joke

[BOTT]

yea i guess. but to me, when you have that much young talent on your team they are toeing a dangerous line. if jackson maclin mccoy all get away they will have ruined the future of this team, which seemed to be very bright.

considering andy reid and the eagles have been contenders for what seems like forever why not go for it??? and who knows how long vick will last??

[eaglejoe8]

considering andy reid and the eagles have been contenders for what seems like forever why not go for it??? and who knows how long vick will last??

That's a key point right there. I think these next 2 years are going to be our best window with the core we have right now. Not to say that it won't last after, but given the ages of some of the key players, father-time catches up to everyone eventually.

[ALuck12]

The Eagles are for sure my pick to reach the Super Bowl this season from the NFC.

[eaglejoe8]

The Eagles are for sure my pick to reach the Super Bowl this season from the NFC.

I sure hope you're right.

[mvbighead]

Aside from the guys they've picked up, they really don't seem to have that many big contracts on that team.

Sure, they'll have guys they need to pay, but as the years progress, when one guy is due a contract extension, another guy's contract has expired, leaving more cap space.

But it does seem to me that the Eagles are betting on a solid run at the SB this year. They've made some wise decisions (IMO) which will put them that much closer.

[GoPats]

The Eagles' aggressiveness coming out of the lockout was clearly premeditated. They jumped faster than other teams to make moves, and have positioned themselves as an NFC favorite. I can't fathom that any NFL front office these days would make these moves without considering what it will do to their bottom line a couple of years down the road, but maybe they're willing to face some future issues in exchange for winning now, in the present. If they can win a Super Bowl, whatever happens in two or three years in terms of veteran cuts and trades will most likely be forgiven by their fan base.