CBA Extension Approved!

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Get Anderson.  Throw lotsa money at him.  Lotsa.

Lotsa?  No thanks.  Maybe an average of just over $2 million a year maximum.  Just because the salary cap is a little bigger is no reason to completely break the bank on a backup running back, no matter how good a fit he is.

[SunMo]

there is no reason not to keep Jon Runyan if they have much money under the cap.

[PhillyGirl]

Adding on the $10 mill from $94.5 to $105 mill... once we release TO, I think the number ends up around $28 mill.

Right now, with Owens' contract being taken off the books, the Eagles are at 18.7M--and that INCLUDES their RFA tenders. With an extra 7.5M, that's 26.2M--they recoup 7M from LTBEs that won't hit this year's cap now and I believe they recoup another 7M on 30%-rule payouts that now do not have to be made. So, they'll be roughly 40.2M BELOW the cap.

That sounds really off.

[ice grillin you]

as i said from the beginning the taterskins will go out and get basically who they want...its not if they will be able to get players its who they are gonna get

at the end of free agency you will see the taterskins having been just as active as the eagles

taterskins Ready, Eager to Address Needs
taterskins Ready, Eager to Address Needs

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 9, 2006; E01



With the NFL's new labor agreement in place, the Washington taterskins are prepared to make a significant foray into free agency when the period to sign players is expected to open at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

The extension between the league and its players created room under the cap for the taterskins, opened up avenues for further contract restructuring and should aid the club's ability to re-sign several of its players.

Had the labor talks failed, the taterskins faced the prospect of a $94.5 million salary cap and little chance of acquiring significant free agents. But now the cap is expected to be set at roughly $102 million, allowing Coach Joe Gibbs to seek help at wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker, along the offensive line and, perhaps, at kicker and punter. Washington also stands to add an additional $1.7 million in cap space with the trade of backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey -- who visited the New York Jets yesterday and has visits planned with Detroit and Miami, according to a source -- and will likely release a handful of players today.

Gibbs has informed center Cory Raymer, safety Matt Bowen, cornerback Walt Harris, and injured defensive tackle Brandon Noble that they would not be back with the team, players and agents said, and a few others could be cut as well. The taterskins also had renegotiated contracts with numerous players, but most would have become official only without a CBA extension.

Washington's agreement that granted immediate free agency to linebacker LaVar Arrington, however, gave the team a $4.4 million salary cap credit for 2006, and the taterskins also now have the option of converting about $13.5 million of total roster bonuses due to eight players into signing bonuses for cap purposes, which would create another $10 million in 2006 savings. A few other routine contract restructurings with high-salaried players like quarterback Mark Brunell and tackle Jon Jansen would create more space.

The taterskins were close to terms with running back Rock Cartwright yesterday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, and have been negotiating with their other unrestricted free agents -- starting safety Ryan Clark, starting tight end Robert Royal and defensive lineman Demetric Evans -- and could reach deals with them in the immediate future, as well.

While there are several receivers either on or expected to hit the free agent market, none could be termed a star at this point in his career. But Isaac Bruce (St. Louis), Antwaan Randle El (Pittsburgh), Antonio Bryant (Cleveland), Joe Jurevicius (Seattle) or David Givens (New England) would fill that role, among others. Julian Peterson and Will Witherspoon are the top outside linebackers available -- a position of need following the release of former Pro Bowler LaVar Arrington this week -- while defensive end John Abraham (New York Jets) will be traded and Darren Howard (New Orleans) has a knack for pass rushing as well.

The taterskins will be looking for veteran offensive linemen able to back up the starters, and they could land an established kicker and punter as well. Kickers Adam Vinatieri (New England), Mike Vanderjagt (Indianapolis) and Ryan Longwell (Green Bay) have impressive résumés, and a punter like Tom Rouen (Seattle) could be attractive to Washington, too.

The team also would like to add depth in the secondary, particularly after last night's cuts. Harris started much of last season, and while he has been injured and passed on rookie Carlos Rogers, he provided good cover in the nickel role. Bowen was a starter in 2004 before suffering a season-ending knee injury and the taterskins could take another look at cornerback R.W. McQuarters (Detroit), who they tried to land last offseason, or a safety like Adam Archuleta (St. Louis). It is still conceivable players such as Harris and Bowen could re-sign with Washington later at lesser cap numbers.

Raymer lost his starting spot to free agent Casey Rabach last year, and with top reserve offensive lineman Ray Brown retired there is a need for experience along the line, and Arrington's departure leaves the taterskins without a proven weak-side linebacker. Noble is likely to retire after a series of serious knee injuries.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

They won't be able to get any significant help at all those positions, unless they get 1 or 2 decent players and nothing else.  Otherwise, they really only have enough room for role players, even if they severely backload deals.

[PhillyGirl]

So they drop a bunch of players and can get a couple to fill some spots.

Yeah, that's about as active as the Eagles are going to be. 

[SunMo]

is there a defininte start to FA?  i've seen several different possibilities.  has anything been decided for sure?

[PhillyGirl]

is there a defininte start to FA?  i've seen several different possibilities.  has anything been decided for sure?

Saturday 12:01am according to Mort and Adam Schefter.

[ice grillin you]

they dropped a bunch of garbage...will resign their important players and then get two or three free agents...

trust me at the end of the day the eagles free agency period will not be all that much better than the skins

the eagles will get bently/barber/and a couple other guys the skins will get abraham (or another front line FA)/a decent wr/and another one or two guys...it will go soemehing along those lines

if the eagles get bently they probably will end up with a slightly better period because bently if the best guy out there

[SunMo]

thanks.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

trust me at the end of the day the eagles free agency period will not be all that much better than the skins

the eagles will get bently/barber/and a couple other guys the skins will get abraham (or another front line FA)/a decent wr/and another one or two guys...it will go soemehing along those lines

if the eagles get bently they probably will end up with a slightly better period because bently if the best guy out there

The truth is probably somewhere in between your opinion and the most optimistic Eagles fans.

I have no doubts that the Eagles free agent signings this season will be broader-ranging and more significant than the taterskins, even forgetting the massive difference in salary cap space.  See, the taterskins actually believe their team's pretty good and only need mild tweaking, while the Eagles had a big wake-up call last year.

[Beermonkey]

Right now, with Owens' contract being taken off the books, the Eagles are at 18.7M--and that INCLUDES their RFA tenders. With an extra 7.5M, that's 26.2M--they recoup 7M from LTBEs that won't hit this year's cap now and I believe they recoup another 7M on 30%-rule payouts that now do not have to be made. So, they'll be roughly 40.2M BELOW the cap.

That sounds really off.

One poster I follow (Pocono), who's generally very accurate when it comes to cap tracking, was saying that the Eagles should be around $32M under, so that number is not too unrealistic.

[ice grillin you]

wow thats a lot of effin loot

[rjs246]

Hopefully they'll go into the season with a nice $12-15mil cushion. You know, just in case.

[SunMo]

what do they usually leave themselves for extensions and the draft picks?  6 million, total?

honestly, there is no reason not to spend around $20 million dollars on free agents