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Philadelphia Eagles must restructure Jason Peters and soon

By Geoffrey Knox

Nov 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters (71) walk toward the field before game Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters (71) walk toward the field before game Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jason Peters will enter the 2017 season as the most expensive player on the Philadelphia Eagles roster, but is he still one of the most valuable?

Well, one of the Philadelphia Eagles has reached another milestone. Left tackle Jason Peters celebrated a birthday on January 22nd. When the 2017 season opens, he’ll be 35 years old. The Eagles missed the playoffs again in 2016 (the third straight year that’s happened) and are already in off-season mode. One of the biggest discussions on the horizon will, no doubt, be what to do with their left tackle. The major reason, as it normally is, revolves around the fact that he’ll carry an enormous price tag.

The issue:

Peters is set to make well over 11 million dollars during the 2017 campaign. That’s the highest salary on the team and definitely too much to pay for false start penalties and an aging tackle that may need a couple of days off from time to time. It’s no secret that he’s constructed a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. There’s always the concern, however, that an injury could be right around the corner. Peters was healthy during the 2016 season, but that’s the exception to the rule and not the rule itself.

The options:

The Eagles currently have eight picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Offensive line depth can be addressed with one of the later picks. Questions have been asked about whether or not right tackle Lane Johnson could be moved over to the other side to eventually replace his teammate and friend.

Sep 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters (71) in action against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters (71) in action against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

We know how professional athletes are about their money. One would hope Peters would follow the example of defensive end Connor Barwin and take a pay cut. You have to plan for the fact of that being an impossibility. If it isn’t, you have to plan for two options.

Possible solutions:

First, Peters could be used as trade bait (which doesn’t seem to be what the Eagles brass wants to do). That leaves the only other option being that the team could work out a deal to restructure his deal for the benefit of the team.

Next: Did the Philadelphia Eagles strike gold by drafting Jalen Mills?

If they do the latter, that could free up cap space and allow the Eagles to make some important moves in free agency. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

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