The Eagles recently extended the contracts of Tight-Ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek and according to reports, the birds are also trying to secure the long term futures of young stars Lane Johnson and Vinny Curry. But despite the media hype around Curry playing in a 4-3 under Schwartz, trying, could be the operative word.
Jimmy Kempski reported earlier this week that the team are “prioritising” the extension of Vinny Curry. However we spoke to a source very close to the situation who has requested anonymity and it appears as though there is still a long way to go before anything is finalised.
According to the source, “The contract offered to Vinny was not what he expected” and that “Vinny wants to stay in Philadelphia, he loves playing here” before ending by saying “it’s in the works..but we’re not there yet”.
After talking to various other people, many seem reluctant to talk about the negotiations between Curry and the Eagles which only make our findings more believable. Interestingly Delaware County Daily Times writer Bob Gotz tweeted this regarding the extension of Zach Ertz earlier this week..
Zach Ertz's agent is Steve Caric. Asked if his client's deal was an easy one to negotiate: "I wouldn’t say they’re ever easy with Howie …
— Bob Grotz 🇺🇸 (@BobGrotz) January 25, 2016
Vinny Curry is currently on Vacation which doesn’t bode well for successful contract talks and if Caric is being honest here and the quote is correct, it would imply that perhaps there’s a breakdown in the talks that’s money related. The Eagles are trying to manage their salary cap, saving money with the Celek extension is a prime example and it’s easy to understand why Vinny or his agent would seek a bigger deal.
MIN gave Everson Griffin 42.5M/5yr in '14 w/just 17.5 sacks in 4 years. Responded w/2 double-digit sack seasons. Good model for Vinny Curry.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffPMosher) January 27, 2016
Geoff Mosher made an interesting point here..but not because of the numbers. Everson Griffin also has the same agent as Curry which could well see a similar deal being spoken about..and could well be the reason why nothing has spilled into the media as of yet. Curry played in all 16 games this season but only combined for 12 tackles and 3.5 sacks, being hugely under-utilised by Chip Kelly. If Curry had a season close to his 2014 numbers in which he achieved 9 sacks and his agent knew that the team are moving to a very attacking 4-3 Defense..the initial contract demands would surely be much higher.
The Eagles still have the Sam Bradford situation as well asNolan Carroll and Walter Thurmond among others who would all need extensions this year if they are to remain in midnight green.
It’s clear to see that he is the teams best pass rusher and how he would become one of the best in the league in a Defense suited to his explosive skill set..but it appears as though both parties know that and there could still be a long way to go before an agreement forms.
