Eagles not expected to pick up Timmy Jernigan’s option…but will he return?

According to a report from Pro Football Talk, the Philadelphia Eagles are not expected to pick up the option on Timmy Jernigan’s contract. This makes plenty of sense for obvious reasons, but will he return?

Jernigan ended his first year in Philly with 29 tackles but burst out of the gate early. Through nine games, he had 10 QB hurries, 5 QB hits and 1.5 sacks. An ankle injury looked to slow his progress, but it didn’t stop him from being one of the team’s biggest defensive standouts. As Jernigan wreaked havoc inside, the rest of the defensive line, Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox included, feasted. It was that stellar play that led the Eagles to sign him to a huge $48M contract. All of a sudden, the Eagles had one of the most ferocious DT pairings in the NFL and they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Disaster then struck. Jernigan suffered a herniated disk that forced him to miss the majority of the 2018 season and even upon his return, it was clear that this was going to be problematic moving forward.

After the injury, the Eagles smartly restructured his deal. The final 3 years of his deal are now option years, with the defensive tackle set to make $11M in 2019, and $12M in each of the next two years. He was scheduled to make that anyway, only now, none of that money is guaranteed.

They have until March 13 to make the decision, but it shouldn’t be too hard on the surface. An $11 million salary and a $13 million cap hit make a return for Jernigan very difficult to justify…unless...

There is a possibility that the Eagles release Jernigan, voiding that contract in order to re-sign him as a free agent and start a clean slate. A heavily incentivized deal could benefit both sides.

It was clear how much the Eagles missed Jernigan in 2018, with Fletcher Cox being asked to carry the entire pass-rush on his shoulders, with the exception of a Michael Bennett breakout. Depth at DT was absolutely minimal and Jernigan’s play was pined for all season long.

As a result, defensive tackle is a huge need for the Eagles, but with a potential Wentz extension and holes across the board, if there was a way to reduce that strain, they should at least explore it. If Jernigan could split starting reps with the predicted draftee, reducing his work-load and restoring the rotation, it may give the Eagles some flexibility when it comes to drafting the future of the position, as well as being able to keep the elite talents of Jernigan on the team for a lesser cost.

It’s plausible. Would the Eagles feel comfortable re-investing in a player who has so many question marks? If the price is right…

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports