Westbrook contract update

The Daily News is reporting that the Eagles and Westbrook's agent Todd France held negotiations through the night in an attempt to hammer out a new deal before tonight's preseason game in Pittsburgh.

Negotiations continued late into the night, aimed at wrapping up the details on a new contract for Brian Westbrook, sources close to the situation indicated. The Eagles are expected to announce the deal Friday, before their preseason opener in Pittsburgh.

The team’s negotiators, Eagles president Joe Banner and player personnel vice president Howie Roseman, and Westbrook’s agent, Todd France, faced some formidable hurdles in reworking Westbrook’s current contract, which has three more years to run. But there were strong indications Thursday night that those hurdles were in the process of being surmounted.

Check out the whole piece for an explanation of why this is such a complicated manner. Since the ownership opted out of the current CBA, there's a slew of restrictions on who Westbrook's deal can be structured which have made it difficult for both the agent and team to figure out how best to get him paid what they think he's worth. It seems like Westbrook's value is not really an issue here, it's how best to structure his deal given the restrictions that league rules have put in place.

Either way, an announcent of a new deal right before the first preseason game would be a great news and a great lift for the organization and fans.