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In case there was any doubt, Jason Peters will be the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting left tackle in 2017. NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed as much in a report on Thursday morning.
There was some speculation otherwise, but LT Jason Peters, set to make $9.95M base salary, will be back with #Eagles in ’17. Not a surprise.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2017
The Eagles reportedly approached Peters about taking a pay cut earlier this month, but it appears that won’t happen now.
And honestly, that’s fine. Peters is set to be the 12th highest paid offensive tackle in 2017. The future Hall of Famer had a strong season in 2016. Peters was named to his ninth career Pro Bowl as a result.
Would it have been ideal for Peters to take a pay cut? For the Eagles’ sake, sure. But it wasn’t absolutely necessary and Philadelphia can still make a number of moves to clear cap space, which is expected to happen.
With Peters staying at left tackle, Lane Johnson will remain at right tackle for at least one more season. Johnson is eventually expected to move over to the left side once Peters, who turned 35 in January, is no longer with the Eagles.
Although Peters will be staying, it’s very possible more changes could be coming to the Eagles’ offensive line. Starting center Jason Kelce and starting left guard Allen Barbre aren’t locks to be back with Philadelphia in 2017. These potential changes could further explain why the Eagles really wanted to keep Peters. No need to create a bunch of holes up front prior to Carson Wentz entering his second NFL season.