Brandon Brooks, Eagles agree to multi-year contract extension

The Philadelphia Eagles signed starting right guard Brandon Brooks to a four-year contract extension through the 2024 season, according to an official announcement from the team.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has contract details:

Widely considered a talented, but underrated Eagle these past few seasons, Brooks has been the brightest spot on a lackluster Philadelphia offense in the 2019 season — and that’s not even adjusting for the typical anonymity of playing offensive line. He’s been that good.

When Brooks was signed as a free agent from the Houston Texans in 2016 for a number around $8M per season across five years, with $21M guaranteed — his $11M signing bonus was bigger than any figure the Eagles had given out at the time. 2016 was a free agent spending spree for the newly-reinstated Howie Roseman, who also brought Rodney McLeod and Nigel Bradham to Philadelphia in that offseason — but Brooks was the biggest contract he signed, and has easily been the best return on investment from the group.

Brooks has started 55 of a possible 57 games for his Eagles career — 60 of 62 if you include the playoffs — and is on a starting streak of 50 games. With tackle size and strength, Brooks’ ability to uproot defensive tackles in the trenches has made him this season the best option to run behind in Philadelphia’s diverse and heavily-utilized rushing attack. While he’s contrasted in size/utility with the smaller, frequently-pulled Jason Kelce and Isaac Seumalo, Brooks remains a plus athlete at the guard position, and regularly demonstrates his ability in space as well.

Brooks is also an admirable Philadelphia Eagle for the advocacy and openness with which he has approached his anxiety. Struggles with mental health took those two starts from Brooks in 2016, but Brooks faced his difficulties with honesty and bravery, which is a mighty tough ask when you’re in the public eye and play a game and position predicated on toughness and strength. Brooks saw a therapist; he works with local non-profits supporting adults with anxiety disorders. And, as we learned a few weeks ago, he and Lane Johnson still throw up together before games in solidarity.

Brooks was at jeopardy of losing his starting streak — or, at the very least, some of his tremendous athletic ability and strength — after tearing his Achilles in the divisional round of the 2019 NFL playoffs, a game the Eagles eventually lost to the Saints. Shockingly, despite sustaining the injury in early January, Brooks is not only back on the field but seemingly better than ever — that recovery timeline, especially for a man of his size, speaks volumes to Brooks’ special athleticism and work ethic.

The Eagles, who are enjoying a season of rushing the football that matches and nearly exceeds the success they enjoyed during their 2017 Super Bowl run, are doing so in large part due to Brooks’ dominance — and, if that weren’t enough, he’s still yet to give up a sack this season. Kudos go to Brooks for his dominant performance and well-deserved extension.

The Eagles are a bit tight on the cap over the next few years, but that’s the cost of keeping together a talented group of veterans. They’re still staring down a few contract years, including Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Jordan Howard, and Rodney McLeod. It’s unlikely they can keep everybody — but if there was one player to keep, it was certainly Brooks.