Birds making sure offensive line stays strong
If there’s still any doubt as to what position the Eagles value the most, contract extensions for offensive linemen Landon Dickerson and on Thursday, Jordan Mailata, provide the answer.
Mailata, the left tackle, agreed to terms on a three-year, $66 million contract with a reported $48 million guaranteed, including a $20 million signing bonus.
Earlier in the offseason Dickerson, the left guard, inked a four-year, $84 million extension with $50 million guaranteed, including a $21 million signing bonus.
The Eagles also brought back nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox, who has missed 21 of a possible 34 games the past two seasons due to injury. Maddox, 28, agreed to a one-year pact. Gutsy yet unlucky, Maddox has been a locker room favorite in his six seasons with the Eagles, who took the Pitt product off the board in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
Mailata, 27, was a seventh-round selection of the Eagles in the 2018 draft out of New South Wales. The converted rugby player has made maximum use of his athleticism and massive 6-8, 365-pound frame,
The Eagles chose not to extend the contract of pass rusher Haason Reddick, who was pulling down $15 million this year, instead trading him to the New York Jets for what basically is a second-day pick in the 2026 draft. Right now, the Eagles get a third-rounder although it could turn into a secondround choice if Reddick gets double digits sacks and plays 67.5 percent of the defensive snaps this season.
Elsewhere in free agency the Eagles signed pass rusher Bryce Huff, formerly of the Jets, to a three-year, $51.1 million pact, though the signing bonus was a more modest $16.1 million.
The Birds also inked running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year $37.75 million contract with an $11.6 million signing bonus and safety CJ GardnerJohnson to a three-year pact worth up to $27 million with a $5.9 million signing bonus.
The other big get for the Eagles in free agency is linebacker Devin White, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal.