The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly closing in on a deal with defensive end Fletcher Cox that includes up to $52 million guaranteed, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
Citing two sources, Cole said general manager Howie Roseman wants to get a contract in place with the dynamic defender sooner rather than later this offseason in order to get him into offseason workouts as soon as possible with the Eagles.
Cole also mentioned Roseman as saying the Eagles have no problem paying Cox a “great player” rate, which falls into line with other comments the general manager has made recently about the team’s stellar defender.
Roseman on Cox: "We’re not going to win the deal. We’re not trying to win the deal. There’s no purpose in that" with a player like Cox.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) April 18, 2016
Cox racked up 9.5 sacks last year playing inside as a defensive end in the team’s 3-4 alignment. He is one of the top players in the NFL at any non-quarterback position, so the huge amount of guaranteed cash being reported by Cole isn’t outlandish.
In fact, one might say he’d be a bargain, considering the fact that Oliver Vernon got the same amount from the New York Giants during the first wave of free agency in early March.
The Eagles still have Cox under contract through the 2016 season. He’s currenty on the fifth-year option from his first-round rookie deal, which would pay him just under $7.8 million.