Today, NFL insider Jayson Braddock reported that the Philadelphia Eagles have reached an agreement with former Seattle Seahawks' cornerback, Byron Maxwell.
The deal is reportedly 'done' and will become official on Tuesday.
Braddock joined 97.5 The Fanatic's Brian Startare Sunday afternoon to discuss the blockbuster signing. The following is a transcript from the interview, in which Braddock revealed that Maxwell will now be the fifth highest-paid cornerback in the league, behind Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Aqib Talib, and Brandon Carr.
Startare: "You are the only one that has this story on Byron Maxwell. Without revealing your sources, how did you get this information and what can you tell us here in Philadelphia?"
Braddock:
"You know, six degrees of separation I guess would be the easiest way of saying it without getting too in detail with it. The Eagles were hot after Byron Maxwell since the beginning. …
If Eagles fans don't want to just go back to the tape to find out the guy they're getting from Seattle, then I think something that's really telling in this is that not only did Seattle get back in the running late, but [so did] the other two teams that were in hot pursuit after [him] other than the Eagles. [They] were the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons, which both of these [teams] have coaches now that were former defensive coordinators for the Seattle Seahawks. So you're talking about three former employers that all wanted this guy, so I think that really lends credibility to his play on the field."
Startare: Not to mention that Jacksonville had a boatload of money that's still available, with rumors here of Julius Thomas is also a sign. You've had also tweeted out some contents of the deal. Can you give us some parameters? How much is guaranteed, and how much is the length?
Braddock:
"Last night they were in talks about a six-year, $63 million contract. Of that, $23.5 million would be fully guaranteed. Per my source, his exact quote was 'not fake guaranteed, 100-percent full guaranteed.' Philly really wanted this guy.
Full disclosure, he really liked Seattle, obviously, playing in that secondary with those guys, back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. He really liked the atmosphere in Seattle. You kind of know what you're dealing with there. It could be scary going to a different city.
From what I'm hearing from the source, [Byron Maxwell] is a very quiet, humble guy that doesn't like the spotlight being on him. So, Seattle made a lot of sense for him.
The first offer that the Seattle Seahawks gave him, was one that was back-loaded, towards the back-end of the contract. The complete opposite is the way the Philadelphia Eagles went at him, and they were willing to give him $13.5 million up-front on that first deal that the offered him last night. I'm not sure if that changed, when they changed the contract numbers from last night at six-years, $63 million with $23.5 million guaranteed.
Today, I guess to bring him back to the table, and to get him to be able to commit to this instead of going back with the Seahawks, they changed it to five-year. [I] didn't get the exact numbers, [but] they were saying between $53 and 54 million on the contract, and up to $25 million guaranteed. That guaranteed money would make him the fifth-highest guaranteed contract of all cornerbacks in the NFL."
Startare: "When did you get whiff of this situation, and is it the only one that you know of? Other than Seattle and Atlanta, how did this all shake down besides the money factor with the Eagles?"
Braddock:
"Well, Atlanta and Jacksonville both really wanted Byron Maxwell. Right from the get-go, Philly jumped out to the lead and nobody else got close to him. …
It might seem minor to me and you, but when you're thinking about 16-weeks to a season, possibly moving to a new city, he wanted to get back to a warmer climate. So, Atlanta and Jacksonville both made sense for him, but you know money talks. Philadelphia definitely has a plan for him. They definitely wanted him there in that secondary. So, they went after the guy they wanted, number-one cornerback on the market, and they got what they wanted.
As far as the deal kind of going into place, I got wind of it yesterday. [I] saw Philadelphia's commitment right out the gate, as soon as the legal tampering period opened up. As far as other deals, I've been trying to find out on Jason Worilds. Haven't been able to nail down what teams are all interested in him."
Startare: "The Eagles fans out here are very excited because they've been going through a lot of different situations, LeSean McCoy being traded and the Eagles clearing about $40 million or so to spend out on the open market. There's a lot of other names out there, McCourty from New England, as well. … Can you shed any light, as it pertains to Philadelphia, if they are involved with any other free agents?"
Braddock:
"I haven't talked with McCourty's people yet to find out what teams are interested. Obviously to me, he was the second most talented-player on the market right behind Ndamukong Suh. This is a guy that a lot of people are going to be after, and he's really going to break the bank as well.
A guy under the radar that I know several teams have talked about [is] a guy that can play cornerback [and] free safety. If the Eagles miss on McCourty, the guy to keep an eye out for is Ron Parker. … A lot people haven't really heard of him, and he doesn't have a lot of hype surrounding him, but he's the guy that really turned some heads with his play in Kansas City last year. So, if something doesn't work out with McCourty, start turning your attention to Ron Parker."
Startare: Did you talk to anyone within the Eagles' organization?
Braddock:
"It quite possibly could have happened. I'm not sure."
Braddock re-emphasized on Twitter the fact that money was the main reason behind Maxwell agreeing to come to the City of Brotherly Love, in that 'the bump from $23.5 to 25 was the sticking point.'
CBS NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported Sunday evening that Maxwell's contract is 'very likely' to be for six-years at $63M.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Eagledelphia.com.
