Cap analyst suggests Jason Peters as a potential cut

The Philadelphia Eagles’ cap situation is, as always, a fluid situation. Howie Roseman has taught a masterclass in restructuring existing deals and constructing new contracts with an eye towards the future. All that said, the Eagles aren’t in a fantastic cap situation if they are to achieve maneuverability in free agency.

One roadblock standing in the way of that freedom is the aging Jason Peters. As such, an analyst at Over the Cap has lightly suggested that he may be a potential cut.

“The only reason I bring up Peters is because his cap number is so high that the Eagles will likely have to address his contract. Peters has accepted new deals in the past though at 37 I’m not sure how far the team would want to go. Id put this as a pretty low probability cut but not a surprising contract modification.” – Jason Fitzgerald, Over the Cap

Retaining Peters at his current contract comes with a $13M hit, which is no small sum. If the Eagles were to cut him, they would save $10.5M against the cap while incurring $2.67M in dead money. On the surface, it’s not a bad suggestion. Conversely, the organization’s loyalty to Peters runs deep, and rightfully so.

Our own Brandon Gowton gave his outlook on the situation recently.

“Peters just turned 37 years old last week but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. The only way he’s not back, I think, is if he retires. I’d be shocked if the Eagles decided to merely cut a future Hall of Famer who is “best friends” with Jeffrey Lurie. Peters is currently set to be the 17th highest paid left tackle in terms of annual value. That’s relatively fair; it’s not like the Eagles are paying him some exorbitant amount of money. I think JP is the Eagles’ starting left tackle in 2019. As always, it’s just a question of how long he’ll be able to last during a game in any given week.”

I doubt that the Eagles outright cut Peters, but his contract isn’t what’s best for the team right now. If he doesn’t retire, restructuring his deal and finding another piece at offensive tackle is the right move for the organization. Roseman pulls these off all the time and did so recently with Rodney McLeod. I have faith he’ll be able to offer a fair deal to Peters that is beneficial to both sides.