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News of Brandon Graham’s contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles broke on March 1 but the specific details haven’t been available. That is, until now.
Here’s how Over The Cap lays out Graham’s three-year, $40 million deal worth $27 million guaranteed:
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As you can see, Graham’s contract is back-loaded. The Eagles clearly wanted to keep his cap number low for the 2019 season.
Graham’s cap number takes a big jump in 2020. The Eagles also have 10 days from the start of the 2020 league year to exercise Graham’s option for the 2021, according to Sheil Kapadia. If the Eagles opt in, Graham’s cap number will be $16.375 million for 2021. If the Eagles don’t pick it up, they can save $6.25 million in 2021 ... with an accompanying $10.125 million in dead money.
The 2022 and 2023 years in Graham’s contract are voidable. They only exist so that the Eagles can spread out his bonus. The advantage of doing that is keeping his cap numbers lower in the first three years of his deal. The downside is that there’s potential for a lot of dead money, as previously mentioned.
The Eagles will hope Graham continues to play well to the point where keeping him is an easy decision. Philly isn’t hesitant to invest resources in the trenches, after all.
If the Eagles don’t pick up Graham’s 2021 option, though, they’ll be paying him a good chunk of money to potentially not even be on the team.