Having already inked young cornerstone players Zach Ertz and Lane Johnson, the attention for the Eagles as far as keeping their young talent in-house gravitated towards Fletcher Cox. The pro bowl defensive tackle and undisputed best player on the team is coming off a career season in 2015 and, according to Fox29 and SportsRadio WIP's Howard Eskin, is about to paid accordingly.
Negotiations continue between #eagles and DT-DL Fletcher Cox for deal that could be worth over 100M w 60-70M guaranteed. @FOX29philly
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) February 1, 2016
Fletcher Cox #eagles would be one of top 3 to 4 at his position when deal gets done. And he clearly is at that level in #NFL @FOX29philly
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) February 1, 2016
Fletcher Cox started all 16 games for the Eagles last season. He notched a career high sack total with 9.5 and did so while playing in a scheme that many think limits Cox's statical potential. With the Eagles shifting back towards a 4-3 formation under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, it makes sense that the team is prioritizing the individual most capable of making that unit a formidable one.
The Eagles front office, despite still searching for another individual to focus on scouting and personnel alongside Howie Roseman, has been busy during its 2016 offseason. The numbers Eskin is reporting would make Cox the highest paid Eagle ever, and one could hardly argue them for making that sort of financial plunge. It will continue their trend of trying to identify and stabilize a young core group of players to work under Doug Pederson in the early stages of his tenureship in Philadelphia. Especially after the tumultuous 2015 season seemed to shake the foundation of Eagles football, one of the top priorities seems to be eliminating the type of chaos that ran hand-in-hand with Chip Kelly's time within NovaCare.
Somers Price is a contributor for Eagledelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter @somersprice
