Eagles reward OL Jackson with five-year extension By John Clayton ESPN.com
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the best teams in identifying good, young offensive linemen and locking them up for the future, and on Thursday night, they made center Jamaal Jackson their next star of the future.
Jackson, 26, agreed on a creative five-year, $13 million contract extension that could grow to around $15 million depending on his playing time. Jackson will compete against Hank Fraley for the starting job at center, and because Fraley is in the final year of his contract, the competition will be interesting.
The Eagles have a long history of finding undrafted gems for their offensive line, and Jackson is one of them. He has eight starts since signing with the Eagles in 2003.
Contract negotiations have been ongoing for the past couple weeks. They came to a conclusion Thursday night when his agents, Peter Schaffer and John Rickart, found ways in which he could make as much as $3 million a year depending on his playing time and performance.
Jackson is a 6-foot-4, 330-pound blocker out of Delaware State who can add bulk to the offensive line at center or guard. The Eagles patiently waited for him to develop and brought him back in 2005. He signed with the practice squad and made the regular roster and had a chance to start.
Jackson was going to be an exclusive-rights player instead of a free agent even though he's been around the NFL for a couple of years.
Do we keep Hank for the final year of his contract as insurance? Seems like a lot of money and years for such an unknown. Of course, the Eagles have been successful in identifying good young lineman. Not so much at WR or LB.
Demon's inside info was B.S. - he said it was an 8-year extension! I'm furious, I tell yoU!
I knew he was a liar.
Jackson will compete against Hank Fraley for the starting job at center
i dont think so
That depends on your definition of "compete."
Timmy Chang's competing for the starting QB joint too, dook.
Quote from: Philly_Crew on July 20, 2006, 07:30:36 AMDo we keep Hank for the final year of his contract as insurance?
They would be pretty dumb not to keep him. He's cheap as hell and, assuming he loses out to Jackson in the competition for the starting job, you couldn't ask for a better back-up at one of the most important positions in the game.
Quote from: Diomedes on July 20, 2006, 08:47:11 AM
They would be pretty dumb not to keep him. He's cheap as hell and, assuming he loses out to Jackson in the competition for the starting job, you couldn't ask for a better back-up at one of the most important positions in the game.
exactly. and depending what kind of guy he is, he might even help Jackson learn all the little things that go with being a center in the NFL.
I think the question was whether or not they keep Fraley AFTER this year (the last year of his contract)...
which they won't.
yeah you definitely dont keep him beyond this year
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 20, 2006, 08:50:41 AMI think the question was whether or not they keep Fraley AFTER this year (the last year of his contract)...
Nope. Question is pretty clear...it's even written in proper English:
Quote from: Philly_Crew on July 20, 2006, 07:30:36 AMDo we keep Hank for the final year of his contract as insurance?
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 20, 2006, 08:50:41 AM
which they won't.
Of course they won't.
I was just saying what the question should be. Or something.
Shut up! Eat it! You're gay! Fourteen!
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 20, 2006, 08:50:41 AM
I think the question was whether or not they keep Fraley AFTER this year (the last year of his contract)...
which they won't.
He
could be a keeper as backup O-lineman (only on the cheap), but I've never seen him play anything other than center. So it looks like "honeybuns" might be a casualty.
PE.com says it's 7 years (http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/homeNewsDetail.jsp?id=51272)
Maybe there's an option on the 8th? I hope Demon is right about Bunkley, then.
excellant :yay :yay
who's next Dawkins? Lewis, Hood?
Quote from: Diomedes on July 20, 2006, 08:54:50 AM
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 20, 2006, 08:50:41 AMI think the question was whether or not they keep Fraley AFTER this year (the last year of his contract)...
Nope. Question is pretty clear...it's even written in proper English:
Quote from: Philly_Crew on July 20, 2006, 07:30:36 AMDo we keep Hank for the final year of his contract as insurance?
Quote from: FFatPatt on July 20, 2006, 08:50:41 AM
which they won't.
Of course they won't.
Fraley is limited in that he could only play center and would be overwhelmed at guard. I could see the Birds staying with a young guy who can back-up both guard and center. That said, it would make sense to keep Fraley for the experience he has and his decent salary.
If anyone mentions Scott Young I'm going to farging lose it.
i heard this the other day but forgot to mention it.
Spadaro was on 950 and said that Herremans is the starter a LG right now, and that SCOTT YOUNG is battling with Jean-Gilles and Clarke for the backup spot.
QuoteEagles | More details on Jackson's contract extension
Fri, 21 Jul 2006 05:39:46 -0700
Marc Narducci, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reports Philadelphia Eagles OC Jamaal Jackson's five-year contract extension included a $1.75 million signing bonus. Jackson could earn as much as $4 million as part of a two-tier bonus system, according to a person familiar with the deal. If Jackson plays through the life of the contract and achieves certain performance escalators, the contract could be worth $20 million. His base salary for 2006 remains $350,000. With the escalators in his contract, Jackson will be paid more if he is a starter, and even more if he is selected for the Pro Bowl. "Just because they give you a contract doesn't mean you will automatically be the starter, so I have to still go in and work hard," Jackson said.
Pastabelly on the "battle" between Fraley and Jackson
Quote• Hank Fraley versus Jamaal Jackson (Philadelphia, center): During 2001-2004, Fraley, a self-made player, started all but one game for the Eagles, and was a model of consistency. A former undrafted college free agent from tiny Robert Morris College, claimed on waivers by Philadelphia after Pittsburgh released him, Fraley exhibited remarkable scrappiness, great technique and superior knowledge of blocking schemes. But then Fraley wrecked his shoulder in 2005, Jackson replaced him in the lineup for the final eight games of the season and the Eagles discovered that bigger might be better. The 330-pound Jackson has a 30-pound advantage on Fraley and, while he lacks Fraley's savvy, Jackson might be stouter as an inside anchor. That the Philadelphia staff likes Jackson, who didn't appear in a single game in his first two years in the league, was evidenced this week when the Eagles signed him to a long-term contract extension. Fraley remains what he always has been, a lunch-pail guy with guile and nuance, and this figures to be quite a battle for the starting job.
from here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2525853