Eagles expected to finally offer a 'big contract' to end some familiar negligence

It may have been one of the ugliest confrontations between a Philadelphia Eagles star and the franchise's front office we have ever seen. Do you remember when the Birds tried slapping the franchise tag on Jeremiah Trotter? That didn't go so well.

Eventually, Trot signed with Washington. Yes, eventually, he also came home. We like that part of the story, but it doesn't change the fact that he left. We know why he had to leave. It's the same reason we normally complain about Philly's linebacker corps, because the organization never treats the position like an important one.

An ESPN analyst thinks that may change during the offseason.

ESPN's Aaron Schatz believes the Eagles will surprise us by investing heavily in a linebacker. Don't bet on it though.

Here's a nice read if you're looking for something to occupy your time. ESPN Plus cooked up a write-up on key free agents, draft notes, and predictions to make note of this offseason. Their take included Aaron Schatz's theory that the Birds would "finally spend some money at the linebacker position by offering a big contract".

This one sits behind a paywall, so we won't share a ton of quotes here, but here's what we can tell you. He sees Frankie Luvu as the beneficiary. He racked up 125 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, five pass breakups, and two forced two fumbles for the Carolina Panthers during the most recent regular season.

Might Philly show some interest? He's definitely interesting. He's 27 years old, but here's the issue. Spotrac believes his market value sits somewhere around the four-year, $44.7 million range. That's obviously an average salary of $11.1 million. It's hard to imagine the Birds doing that when they didn't even want to give T.J. Edwards $6.5 million per season.

The Eagles haven't selected a linebacker in the first round of any NFL Draft since 1979. Jerry Robinson was the choice. They had an emerging star in a homegrown talent, the aforementioned Edwards, but they let him walk.

Does Philly undervalue linebackers? They most certainly do. Hopefully they have learned their lesson. Something tells us we'll be having this conversation again this time next year, but who knows. Maybe they'll surprise us.

If Frankie Luvu isn't the target, maybe they'll settle on someone else, but one thing's certain. Reinforcements are needed.

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