By: Adith Gopal
It started on January 31, when the Eagles restructured starting safety Rodney McLeod’s contract to create more cap space. McLeod’s reworked deal keeps him on the team until 2019. McLeod played an influential role for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run in the 2017 campaign, but he was placed on the IR after tearing his MCL early in the 2018 season.
About a month after McLeod’s restructured deal on February 22, the Eagles resigned kicker Jake Elliott and long-snapper Rick Lovato to one-year contracts. Both were starters for Philadelphia for the last two years, including in their Super Bowl run. Elliott became a Philadelphia fan favorite after nailing a 63-yard game-winning field goal against the rival New York Giants as time expired in Week 3 of the 2017 season. Many fans point to Elliott’s field goal as a driving force for Philadelphia’s 13-3 record that year and eventual Super Bowl Champions. Since then, Elliott has made multiple game-winning field goals for Philadelphia late in games. On March 1, Roseman really worked his magic and found a way to resign star DE Brandon Graham to a three year, $40 million contract. This move shocked everyone, as it was assumed by the Eagles fanbase that Graham would be a casualty of the low cap space the Eagles have, along with the strong free agent market for Graham, as teams like the Colts and Jets have looked for a dominant pass rusher. However, Roseman found the money to resign Graham, and Graham was more than excited to resign, saying that “Philly is his home.” Graham made himself a household name after getting a strip-sack on all-time legend and Patriots QB Tom Brady late in Super Bowl 52, essentially winning the game for Philadelphia and giving the city its first Super Bowl parade. Roseman continued on his resigning magic after resigning long-time Eagles C Jason Kelce and OT Jason Peters for one-year deals. OL Isaac Seumalo was also resigned for three years. Kelce made a name for himself after his passionate speech at the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade, while Peters is a future Hall-of-Famer and being considered as one of the best-undrafted players ever. Roseman was able to trickle his magic to trades as well. After shipping productive DE Michael Bennett and a 2020 seventh round pick to the Patriots for a 2020 fifth round pick, Roseman brought back Eagles legend WR DeSean Jackson via trade. The Eagles shipped a 2019 6th round pick to the Buccaneers for Jackson and a 2020 seventh round pick. Right after the trade, Roseman signed Jackson to a three-year extension. Jackson was a major fan favorite in Philly for his electric speed and his punt-return touchdown against the Giants, known as “The Miracle in the Meadowlands 2.” Fans still loved him after former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly cut Jackson without reason. Eagles fans were glad to see their homegrown speedster back. The Eagles arguably made their biggest move by signing DT Malik Jackson to a three-year deal. He played a heavy role in the Broncos’ Super Bowl run in the 2015 season and in the Jaguars’ AFC Championship run in 2017. Many analysts believe that pairing Jackson with All-Pro DT Fletcher Cox creates the best inside-rusher duo. While every football fan expected the Eagles to sign nobody due to lack of cap, Roseman found a way to make cap and resign their stars and sign new stars to the squad. Moves such as Graham’s resigning, DeSean Jackson’s trade and Malik Jackson’s signing signal that the Eagles are ready to make another Super Bowl run.
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Dylan EdelmanWilson Senior Archives
February 2020
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