Brandon Apter (@bapter23), contributor
The Eagles haven't been shy in signing players they believe to be a part of their future. They've already agreed to new deals with Zach Ertz, Vinny Curry and Lane Johnson. Fletcher Cox could be next. According to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, the Philadelphia Eagles and Fletcher Cox are reportedly working on a deal that could feature $50 million in guaranteed money.
According to two different people familiar with the negotiations, Cox could end up with a deal that has over $50 million in guaranteed money, and one said the smart bet is to take the over. It wouldn't be surprising to see Cox's new deal have an average cap hit over $15 million.
Despite the large price tag, the two sides are close to a deal, a sign of just how committed the Eagles are to keeping Cox and making him, in many ways, the face of the franchise.
In Parks' piece for NJ.com, he goes on to mention that though Cox is an integral part of the teams' defense, it isn't always wise to invest so much money in a defensive lineman. He uses the Miami Dolphins as an example and their decision to sign Ndamukong Suh to a six-year deal that had $60 million in guaranteed money. The Dolphins finished 6-10 and got just six sacks from Suh. Miami doesn't have a proven quarterback or a proven head coach, just like Philadelphia, so signing Suh wasn't necessarily going to get them over the hump into the playoffs. At least not last season.
This season for the Eagles, Cox tallied 9.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered two of them. The Eagles and Cox have been in contract negotiations for a few weeks now and a massive deal seems imminent.
Update: Although it isn't specific to contract talks, Fletcher Cox took to Twitter earlier today in a messages that refutes reports that are out there. The only reports out there regarding Cox are the ones that say he could get up to $50 million guaranteed in a potentially new deal.
Can the reporters please stop the nonsense nothing is true to what they are reporting … SAD
— fletcher cox (@fcoxx_91) February 9, 2016
