We’re looking at five big named Philadelphia Eagles could become 2024 salary cap casualties
The 2024 NFL offseason is underway for Philadelphia, and after a 32-9 wild card loss to Tampa Bay, the focus will now shift to reshaping the roster to fit two new coordinators on both sides of the ball.
The Birds are set to have 20 pending free agents, and with another likely retool schedule on defense, the organization could conjure up a scheme for more flexibility.
Over The Cap recently looked at the top 100 players who could be cut or released due to the salary cap, and Philadelphia had four guys make the list.
According to Over the Cap’s potential transaction chart, the Eagles can easily create $35.4 million in cap space, and we’re looking at five players who could end up as salary cap casualties.
During his exit meeting with the media, Darius Slay had high praise for Eagles rookies Sydney Brown, Eli Ricks, and Kelee Ringo
The Eagles are set to undergo massive changes, and the two high-paid outside cornerbacks could be a part of the youth movement.
Darius Slay missed five games during the 2023 season and was forced to exit the wild-card loss to Tampa with a back injury.
During his end-of-the-year meeting with the media, Slay talked about Philadelphia’s future in the secondary, praising rookies Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo, and Eli Ricks.
That trio of rookie defensive backs got 43 snaps in the first six weeks of the season but played huge roles down the stretch, giving a glimpse into the future.
Bradley Roby, James Bradberry, Slay, and Kevin Byard are all in their 30s and have had long successful careers, but could all be a part of a dramatic retool at critical positions.
James Bradberry was a guest on the Big Play Slay Podcast and talked getting revenge on the Giants, his holding call in the Super Bowl and the NFL’s top cornerback duo
The Miami Dolphins’ acquisition of Jalen Ramsey has intensified the conversation about the NFL’s top cornerback duo, as he’ll be paired with Xavien Howard.
Most discussions have centered on Darius Slay and James Bradberry being the top duo in Philadelphia. After new contracts, the two dynamic cover guys sat down for an almost-hour discussion on everything Eagles and NFL related.
Forget that play in the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed CB James Bradberry, and it was absolutely the right thing to do.
The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with all kinds of leakage on their defense via free agency — they’ve already lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers, linebacker T.J. Edwards to the Chicago Bears, linebacker Kyzir White to the Arizona Cardinals, and safety Marcus Epps to the Las Vegas Raiders. But general manager Howie Roseman did get one major re-signing done on Tuesday, as cornerback James Bradberry now has a new three-year, $38 million contract with $20 million guaranteed to prevent him from finding a new home in similar fashion.
We had Bradberry ranked as the fourth-best free agent in this class, so we think it’s a pretty big deal. And with those numbers, it’s a very good deal, as well.
It was an unfortunate way for Bradberry’s season to end, because for the most part, he was dynamite for the Eagles on a one-year, $7.25 million deal. The former Giants salary cap casualty allowed just 46 catches on 98 targets in the 2022 season for 489 yards, 159 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 12 pass breakups… and for the record, just three penalties all season long.
Bradberry’s old team really felt the sting in Week 18 and the divisional round, as he was targeted nine times, allowing three catches for 41 yards, 13 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception and a slew of pass breakups. If Bradberry is on you in press coverage, good luck disengaging.
Bradberry showed a ton of improvement in Jonathan Gannon’s defense last season, and now that Sean Desai has taken Gannon’s former role, it was very smart for the Eagles to take advantage of that as they look to fill holes in other parts of that defense.
Contract details for Philadelphia Eagles’ one-year deal with cornerback James Bradberry include a cap charge of just $2.2M for 2022, way less than the $11.7M dead cap charge the Giants will be responsible for
The details can be found in the numbers and Roseman ensured that Philadelphia won’t suffer if Bradberry falls off a cliff performance-wise, while giving the Eagles plenty of cap relief going forward to make future moves with the season opener looming.
ESPN’s Field Yates has the true numbers, and the Giants will have a large dead cap hit than the Eagles will pay in total salary.
In typical Eagles form, James Bradberry’s deal includes four voidable years.
Signing bonus: $6.215M Base salary: $1.035M Incentives: Up to $2.5M
Bradberry carries a cap charge of just $2.278M for 2022 via this deal.
New York saved $10,136,111 in salary cap space with the move but will shoulder the burden of $11,727,778 in dead cap, $9 million more than Philadelphia will pay in 2022.
Bradberry and new Eagles teammate Darius Slay are the only cornerbacks in the NFL with 80 passes defended since 2016.
The New York Giants were forced to release a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback due to financial complications. The Cardinals should pounce at this opportunity.
The news was expected, but it was made official Monday afternoon when the New York Giants released former Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry.
Bradberry, 29, was last selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was released due to financial complications on the rebuilding New York Giants. He was due to earn $13.4 million dollars this season. The team held out hope throughout the draft that they could trade him, but ultimately had to cut him.
Cardinals’ owner Michael Bidwill mentioned in a recent segment on Flight Plan that the team will continue to remain aggressive in the coming months, citing the late addition of James Conner as an example.
He had a career-high four interceptions last season. His production would be welcome on a Cardinals defense that has question marks at the position. General manager Steve Keim cited cornerback as a position of need in the NFL Draft, one that they did not address until the seventh round.
Having a Pro Bowl corner on the perimeter would allow Vance Joseph to comfortably move Byron Murphy inside and outside based on matchups, something he excels at. With two younger plays outside in Marco Wilson and Jeff Gladney, adding an established veteran would help their development as well.
The Cardinals did not spend a lot of money in free agency. Perhaps the time is now to add a Pro Bowl-caliber player on defense.
Players with 10+ passes defended in each of the last 6 seasons…
The Cardinals would be wise to consider adding former Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry from the Giants.
Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has made some excellent free agent acquisitions after the initial wave of free agency many times in the past. Look no further than Pro Bowler James Conner, whom the team added last April.
The Cardinals entered the NFL draft with needs at cornerback, wide receiver and edge rusher. These positions of need were confirmed by Keim during his pre-draft press conference a few days prior to the first round.
The team added Marquise Brown in exchange for their first round pick and drafted back-to-back edge rushers in the third round. The team did not address cornerback until the seventh round.
Many thought the Cardinals were content with their cornerback room, but perhaps they are looking for more based on Keim’s comments and how the draft played out.
One intriguing option could be cornerback James Bradberry from the New York Giants. Bradberry earned his Pro Bowl honors in 2020 after a stellar campaign. His play declined a bit last year but so did the team as a whole.
The Giants have been actively looking to trade Bradberry due to their rebuilding situation and a massive cap hit due for this season. His cap hit is approximately $22 million for this season, so it makes sense for the team to look for a way to move on given their current state.
After failing to find a trade partner, it appears the Giants are set to release their Pro Bowl corner. General manager Joe Schoen spoke to the media earlier this week with some clarifying news.
“We should have some resolution hopefully by the end of the week,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because he’s a great kid.”
For the Cardinals, adding a player like Bradberry late in the offseason, particularly without having to give up draft capital would be a major boost to their defense. The cornerback room, in its current state, is young and athletic but without established Pro-Bowlers like Bradberry.
The 29-year-old pro would join a position room that already features Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson, the latter of whom the Cards expect a big jump from. The team also added Jeff Gladney in the offseason, but adding Bradberry only makes the team better.
Cornerback was an area of weakness late in the season for the Cardinals. Following injuries to Marco Wilson and Robert Alford, they were unable to stop most of the passing offenses they came across. Bradberry would have helped tremendously in that area last year.
Spotrac estimates Bradberry’s market value to be $12.5 million per season. That is a much more manageable number than the cap hit on his current deal. Perhaps that number shrinks, particularly given the later point in the offseason that we’re at.
The Cardinals have maintained that they did right by not overspending or overreacting to the first wave of free agency and that they’ll stay aggressive the rest of the way. Let’s see if adding a Pro-Bowl caliber player at a position of need is on their radar in the coming days.
According to a report by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Panthers cornerback and pending free agent James Bradberry is aiming to sign for $15 million or more per year on his next contract.
Multiple sources from the combine say Panthers CB James Bradberry, one of the top corners on the market, is aiming for $15 or more million per year on a new deal. Washington among teams expected to be involved. Byron Jones, Bradberry and others plan to reset corner market.
According to a report by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Panthers cornerback and pending free agent James Bradberry is aiming to sign for $15 million or more per year on his next contract.
That amount might sound high, but it’s fairly typical for what a player like Bradberry makes these days. The starting cornerbacks who have been extended or signed recently earn around $14 million per season. Xavien Howard of the Dolphins currently leads the position in yearly salary at just over $15 million, per Over the Cap.
Bradberry has developed into a solid, above-average starter for Carolina’s secondary. However, giving him what he wants would represent a massive investment in a defender who has been inconsistent at times during his career and has never made the Pro Bowl.
On the other hand, allowing Bradberry to walk and sign with another team could be disastrous. If he leaves, the Panthers would be left with Cole Luke and Donte Jackson as the only true corners on the roster, as Ross Cockrell and Javien Elliott are also both about to become free agents.
This is supposed to be a deep cornerback draft class, but letting Bradberry leave would still represent a huge risk.
This is definitely a difficult decision for general manager Marty Hurney. If he’s wary of agreeing to a long-term deal, he may decide to use the franchise tag.
