Expected market costs for three high profile impending Eagles free agents

The NFL season rolls on, and hope springs eternal in the midnight green-colored world belonging to the Philadelphia Eagles. As the old saying goes, this is their world, and the rest of us are just living in it. Less than a year after the vice president/general manager Howie Roseman saw his approval rating hit rock bottom, he’s on top of the world again thanks to his hand in assembling a roster that’s so good, some believe Philly can contend for Super Bowl glory. There’s just one issue.

At the risk of being the bearers of bad news, as good as this team is (and they are good… very good), its roster, one that many of us are falling in love with, is in danger of looking a lot different in 2023, and that’s true whether this team accomplishes its ultimate goal or not.

20 players are expected to hit the open waters of free agency’s pool come March of 2023. Some of them have been and still are vital to this team’s success. If this was Major League Baseball, a professional sports operation that’s void of a salary cap, Philadelphia would need only hand out a few checks and move on. Unfortunately, the NFL does have a salary cap, and that’s going to make Howie’s challenge of keeping this team together nearly impossible.

How many coins do the Eagles have to spend? What are their players expected to earn?

Over the cap estimates that, when calculating the top 51 salaries for the 2023 season on the Eagles roster, we land at a little over about $190.7 million in total. That would give Philly $15.2 million in cap space. Spotrac sees things slightly differently as they see the top 51 salaries creating a cap hit of $216.3 million and Philly’s estimated cap space being at $12.2 million. Regardless of how you slice it, that isn’t enough to hang on to 20 guys looking for a payday.

Here’s a list of the 20 players on the current roster who are expected to hit free agency if they aren’t granted extensions sometime shortly:

• Fletcher Cox
• Robert Quinn
• Tyree Jackson
• Brandon Graham
• Javon Hargrave
• Jason Kelce
• James Bradberry
• Isaac Seumalo
• Andre Dillard
• Kyzir White
• T.J. Edwards
• Zach Pascal
• Miles Sanders
• Rick Lovato
• C.J. Gardner-Johnson
• Janarius Robinson
• Boston Scott
• Gardner Minshew
• Marcus Epps
• Sua Opeta

Yep, Howie has a lot of work to do, but we’ve seen him perform miracles before. Still, it’s safe to assume that the Birds will part ways with several recognizable faces.

We should expect surprise cuts as well as surprise signings, but for the sake of argument, let’s look at what Spotrac sees as fair market value amounts for three guys that we’ve discussed often.

Miles Sanders, running back (four years, $25.5 million)

Playing the running back position at the professional level of football is a grind. They tend to have short shelf lives. They’re overworked and underpaid, and in the case of guys like Miles Sanders, your goal is to prove that you can remain healthy for the full 18-week, 17-game grind.

Miles’ future with the Eagles is uncertain, but if he continues on his current path, chances are he may return on a team-friendly deal, for now, Spotrac estimates his market value to be somewhere in the four-year, $25.5-million range. That’s $6.3 million annually and would rank him 11th among NFL tailbacks.

Javon Hargrave, defensive tackle (three years, $36.8 million)

After earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021, Javon Hargrave got off to a slow start but has come on in Week 8 and Week 9. His market value is listed at three years and $12.2 million annually. That ranks 166th in the NFL regardless of position and would make him the 12th-highest-paid defensive tackle.

If his current hot streak continues through the remainder of the season, his would be a necessary extension for this Eagles franchise.

James Bradberry, cornerback (three years, $36.5 million)

There’s no other way to slice it. The Philadelphia Eagles are nearing territory which suggests it would be a huge lapse in judgment to ignore James Bradberry‘s contribution and let him leave to play elsewhere.

Keeping him around could prove to be costly. Then again, if you want better players, you have to pay more to keep them home. His market value averages out to about $12.1 million annually which would rank 164th league-wide and make him the 16th-highest-paid player among cornerbacks.

If you missed the announcement, say it with us again. Howie Roseman has a lot of work to do come the end of the season regardless of how things shake out.