One of the toughest tasks that a general manager in the NFL has to accomplish is finding the right time to give out contract extensions to players who have provided an impact for their team. There aren’t many general managers in the NFL who are like Howie Roseman, meaning that Roseman has shown to give out contract extensions at the perfect time to beat any sort of contract hold-up with his star players.
We’ve seen it happen a lot under Roseman with players like A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and even Saquon Barkley who is coming off a career-year in his first season with the Eagles. Roseman has built a championship-winning roster and it paid off once again as the Eagles were named Super Bowl champs this past February.
The celebration time should still be going on, but it’s time for Roseman to start thinking about the future of other players that are starting to slowly approach the last few seasons of their rookie contract.
As the Eagles head into the NFL Draft this month, in addition to Roseman looking to add young rookie talent, he should also be thinking about the possible contract extensions that some players could earn sooner than later. Whether it be this year or next year, there are four players that the Eagles should be focused on keeping the roster intact for the future.
Howie Roseman should be extending four players sooner rather than later
C Cam Jurgens
When Eagles legend Jason Kelce stepped away from the game, the Eagles were losing a fan-favorite who was the anchor to the offensive line for many seasons. However, the Eagles had Cam Jurgens who they had drafted to eventually take over for Kelce. In his first year as Philadelphia’s center, Jurgens was literally at the start of the infamous tush push play that made the Eagles successful in their route towards a Super Bowl.
Jurgens earned Pro Bowl honors this past season and he looks like the franchise’s next center to help protect Jalen Hurts. He was drafted in the 2nd-round in 2022 by Philadelphia, which means he is going into a contract year in 2025. Jurgens deserves a contract extension to stay in Philly beyond 2025.
DT Jordan Davis
When the Eagles drafted Jordan Davis in 2022, it was the perfect pairing to Fletcher Cox who was nearing the end of his career. Davis would have the opportunity to learn from Cox who had been a phenomenally productive player throughout his career with the Eagles. Davis hasn’t missed a regular season game the last two seasons and he has shown to be a solid run-stopper,
However, it also helps that Davis has had great teammates around him who have talent to help him succeed. The Eagles have a ferocious defense and Davis plays a big role in it. He’s going into his fourth year of his contract, but the Eagles will have the option to pick up his fifth-year option. If they do indeed do so, it would make total sense to just extend him to get ahead of the game.
DT Jalen Carter
I still don’t know how Jalen Carter fell into the Eagles’ lap in 2023 at No. 9 overall. Roseman once again beefed up the defensive line by selecting Carter to place in the defensive tackle room with Fletcher Cox and Jordan Davis. From the rest of the league’s perspective, it’s not fair. However, Eagles fans weren’t complaining at all.
In two seasons with the Eagles, Carter looks like a cornerstone player for the franchise. He was the runner-up for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023, and he earned his first Pro Bowl honors this past season. In addition, Carter earned Second-Team All-Pro honors and also earned some votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Carter still has atleast one more year left before Roseman has to start thinking about how he can keep Carter in Philadelphia for the long-term future. If he can keep up his production in 2025, it won’t be a matter of if he gets a contract extension, but more of when he will get one.
OLB Nolan Smith
Oh look, another Georgia Bulldog that Roseman drafted. Nolan Smith had a high ceiling coming out of college and he was very impressive in the playoffs last season. At the same time, he also produced in the regular season with 6.5 sacks and 11 QB hits. He and Josh Sweat helped create chaos in the Super Bowl that made Patrick Mahomes’ life miserable in that game.
Smith was drafted late in the first round back in 2023, the same year as Jalen Carter. There is still another year for Smith to show if his game can increase anymore, but it definitely wouldn’t be surprising to see Roseman work his magic and extend Smith to a team-friendly deal that keeps in Philly for the long-term.
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