With a scintillating end to the Super Bowl last night comes the unofficial start of the offseason for the NFL. Now is when teams must start making the tough decisions that will shape their rosters for the 2015 league year.
The Philadelphia Eagles are starting their offseason with a few key questions and some potentially difficult choices. Leading wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent while All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy could become a cap casualty due to a large salary-cap figure in 2015.
McCoy has said that he is not interested in taking a pay cut, but that doesn't mean this is an either/or situation for the Eagles. Maclin has the utmost confidence that both players can still be on Philly's roster next season.
"I don't know where everything started, people saying they can't keep us both," Maclin said to Comcast SportsNet's John Clark. "I think that's crazy. As far as what [McCoy] does with his deal, that's not my place to comment on that. There's no reason why you can't keep us both. That's one of the most ridiculous things I've heard all offseason."
Is Maclin being naïve or accurately optimistic?
The Eagles are projected to have around $20 million in salary cap space for 2015. While that sounds like a nice chunk of change, fans must remember that the team still hopes to re-sign linebacker Brandon Graham while also beginning to work out extensions with players nearing the end of their rookie contracts (Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Nick Foles, etc.). Still, Philly has a few ways they can make it all work.
"However, what people seem to be forgetting is there is also quite a bit of money that is set to come off the books," Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com wrote.
"Outside linebacker Trent Cole is currently owed $11.6 million in 2015, which he will never see. Philadelphia will save over 48 million if he's simply released. Tight end James Casey won't be around at $4 million, either, every penny of which is saved with his departure.
"That's $12 million in cap space right there, and the Eagles might not be finished. Cornerback Cary Williams is due to earn over $8 million, $7 million of which can be saved if he's dumped. Interior linebacker DeMeco Ryans' cap figure is nearly $7 million with no dead money, and at this stage of the offseason, we don't even know if he'll be recovered from an Achilles injury in time to contribute on the final year of his deal."
No one said this is going to be easy. Maclin could easily demand a deal in the $9-$10 million dollar range annually while McCoy's cap hit of just under $12 million is an expensive pill to swallow. But at least the Eagles have options for keeping their two most talented offensive players in town. Whether they are willing to exercise those options is another question entirely.
