The Philadelphia Eagles locked up yet another talented homegrown player on Tuesday night, announcing that they had come to terms with defensive end Vinny Curry on a five-year deal, worth a reported $46.25 million. Curry's new contract marked the fourth deal the team has done with a former draft pick since Chip Kelly was fired this season. Tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek got spiffy new pacts, as did left tackle of the future Lane Johnson. The expectation now is that the next player likely to get locked up by the team will be defensive star Fletcher Cox.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Cox and the Eagles may not be all that close on a new deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on 97.5 The Fanatic's Morning Show (h/t to Bleeding Green Nation) and told host Anthony Gargano that the two sides are "not close right now."
That doesn't necessarily mean much in the grand scheme of things for the Eagles or the first-time Pro Bowler, though Cox has posted more than a few cryptic messages on social media suggesting he's, at the very least, a bit perturbed by the process.
But twitter complaints or no, there seems little chance the Eagles would ever actually let Cox get away. He's excelled the past few seasons in Billy Davis' 3-4 defense as a two-gapping end, but should thrive to a far greater extent in Jim Schwartz's attacking 4-3 as a penetrating defensive tackle, which will allow him to use his immense athleticism and size to disrupt opposing offenses.
Really, if Cox can gather 71 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in a read and react scheme, the sky is the limit now that he's entering a situation more ideally suited to his skillset.
The Eagles will pay, and pay dearly, to keep Cox. Some, like FOX 29's Howard Eskin, have suggested the deal will be worth somewhere in the vicinity of $100 million-plus, with $60 to $70 million in guarantees.
But for a guy whose just 25 and already one of the better players in the league, it will be well worth the monstrous annual cap hit.
