Philadelphia Eagles free agency: What would Reggie White earn today?

Here’s something you’ve probably thought about before even if it has nothing to do with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s especially true if you’re a football fan that’s a little older. Do you realize it was a huge deal when Warren Moon entered the NFL in 1989 and signed a five-year, $10-million deal?

2 million dollars per season wasn’t just the result of a bidding war that was jumpstarted by Moon’s decision to leave the CFL and enter the NFL. Those 2 million dollars made Moon the highest-paid player in the game at that time. Can you imagine what type of salary he’d command in the current NFL?

Here’s a Philadelphia Eagles comparison if you need one.

Reggie White, one of the greatest defensive players of all time, played in Philly from 1985 to 1992 and is one of the greatest players to ever play in the City of Brotherly Love. Unfortunately, Norman Braman was the owner of the team at that time, so Reggie’s career didn’t end as a member of the Eagles as it should have.

As fans and as players, everyone was just getting introduced to free agency at the time, and in the beginning, Braman didn’t want to play the free-agency game. For that reason, when guys’ contracts expired, they just left.

It’s probably one of the worst stories a Philadelphia Eagles fan can tell.

In 1993, Reggie White joined the Green Bay Packers after inking a four-year, 17 million-dollar contract. Come on. Philly couldn’t give The Minister of Defense a little over four million per season? It seems mind-boggling when you think about it now.

Forget what he did in Green Bay. Let’s just look at what he did in Philadelphia. We’re talking about a man that won an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award with Philadelphia in 1987.

He was a six-time First-team All-Pro with Philly from 1986 to 1991 and a Second-team All-Pro in 1992. He made seven straight Pro Bowl rosters. He was the NFL sacks leader in 1987 and 1988.

Reggie White is a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and its 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He earned first-team honors on both the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.

His number 92 jersey was retired by both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. Oh, and yes, he’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Philly couldn’t outbid the Packers and give that guy $5 million per season or more?

It almost makes you sick to say it, doesn’t it? Seriously, who’s worse? Howie Roseman or Norman Braman?

Don’t worry Philadelphia Eagles fans. We’ll get through this together.

Yes, if you just skimmed through or tuned in late, you read that correctly. Reggie White is, without question, one of the greatest players to ever put on an NFL jersey for any team, and as a free agent, he got a little over four million dollars per season on a four-year deal ($17 million).

Jadeveon Clowney almost made that in 2020. He signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans on September 8th that was worth $12 million, and let’s face it. Clowney will never be Reggie White. Ever.

We lost the Minister on December 26th of 2004, so he never got the chance to see what some of these guys are making today. Can you imagine what some of these guys like Warren Moon are thinking though?

Like White, Moon is a Hall of Famer, but something needs to be said. No disrespect is intended, but if Joe Flacco can get a six-year, $120.6 million deal, Jared Goff can get $134 million with $110 million guaranteed, and Myles Garrett can get $25 million, then Warren Moon should be getting about $150 million and Reggie White should be in that $30 million range. It’s hard to argue that if you’re an NFL fan.