Art of the Deal
Contract extension could be tough for Graham
PHILADELPHIA » Brandon Graham wholeheartedly endorsed the contract extensions given Sunday to Eagles football operations chief Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson.
The words he used were genuine, authentic.
“It’s a good thing to keep your own, take care of your own,” Graham said.
Graham is angling for an extension of his own. He earned it, having led the Eagles with 9 1/2 sacks last season. Let’s not forget the strip sack of New England quarterback Tom Brady, interrupting the enemy momentum and setting up the insurance field goal in the 41-33 Super Bowl LII win over the Patriots.
All of that said, Graham doesn’t have a lot of leverage. He has to prove the surgically repaired ankle that likely will keep him out of the entire preseason is healthy. And then he has to make the sacks happen, pronto.
That’s going to be difficult splitting time with pass rushers Derrick Barnett and Michael Bennett, who are healthy and sure look like they’re going to hit the season opener running.
If that’s not enough, the upcoming NFL draft has a ton of defensive linemen, including pass rushing ends. The first three projected picks are D-linemen Nick Bosa (Ohio State), Ed Oliver (Houston) and Rashan Gary (Michigan). Eleven linemen could come off the board in just the first round, including four from Clemson.
Draft picks on rookie contracts are cheaper than veterans.
Which leads us to the Eagles’ payroll situation. It’s almost a certainty the Eagles will sign quarterback Carson Wentz to an extension after this, the third year of his four-year deal. It’s always less expensive to do so sooner, rather than later. All he has to do is confirm he’s still the guy who threw a club-record 33 touchdown passes in 13 games before tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee.
The going rate for elite quarterbacks is right around the $30 million per year Kirk Cousins got from the Minnesota Vikings. The money to pay Wentz is going to have to come from somewhere. Don’t look for the Eagles to hang onto high-paid veterans in their 30’s. Graham turned 30 in April.
Make no mistake, Brandon Graham is going to make a lot of money after this season. His, however, might not be a case of the Eagles keeping their own.
Longtime Eagles front office executive Tom Heckert passed away Sunday at age 51 after a fight with amyloidosis, a disease in which amyloid proteins build up in the organs and ultimately shutdown the heart.
Former NFL and Penn State star, and Detroit Lions president Matt Millen is battling the same rare illness. He needs a heart transplant, per reports.
Heckert resided in Glen Mills during much of his tour with the Eagles from 2001-09. He’s survived by his mother, Rose, his former wife, Kathy, a son, Griffin, and a daughter, Madison, who set records as a pole vaulter at West Chester Henderson.
Hecker, in his role as general manager, helped the Eagles go 41-28-3 from 200609 with an appearance in the 2008 NFC title game. Throughout that time, he was micromanaged by then club president Joe Banner.
The Eagles drafted premier talent under Heckert, taking DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin off the board while he had control of the draft board. Brodrick Bunkley, Winston Justice, Brent Celek and Jason Avant, among others, also were culled from the draft.
Heckert was approachable, honest and as transparent as a front office exec could be. Most recently he worked under John Elway for the Denver Broncos, earning a piece of their Super Bowl L title.
“When he worked here everyone wanted to be around him and listen to his stories about his time in the league and his experiences around the game,” Roseman said in a statement. “He was one of the first people to congratulate us all when we won the Super Bowl. Thoughts and prayers with his family, including his kids.”
Said Birds owner Jeffrey Lurie, “Tom gave everything he had to this organization for nine seasons and played a major role in the construction and success of our team during that time.
“In addition to being a talented evaluator and respected voice, he was a mentor and friend to so many within our organization and around the league,” Lurie said. “He will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.”
Speaking of football people, Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas is in the last year of his contract.
The Eagles blocked Douglas from speaking to the Houston Texans about a job last year. They can’t do that after this season.
Douglas loves working for the Eagles with Lurie, Pederson and Roseman.
It’s not a coincidence that the Eagles, with Douglas and Andy Weidl, his assistant, collectively have made some of the best football personnel decisions in the league over the past few years.
Lurie didn’t want to discuss the contract of Douglas or anyone else on the club during the news conference heralding the extensions of Roseman and Pederson. The gut sense here is he wants to keep Douglas.