Eagles will not pick up Timmy Jernigan’s contract option for 2019, report says

The Philadelphia Eagles are not picking up Timmy Jernigan’s $13 million contract option for the 2019 NFL season, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter. This means he’s currently set to be a free agent when the new league year begins on March 13.

This “news” comes as no surprise. There was no way the Eagles were going to pay Jernigan $13 million after he only played 45 snaps in 2018.

By not picking up Jernigan’s option, the Eagles save $7 million in cap space compared to $6 millon in dead money. Jernigan will count towards the Eagles’ 2020 compensatory pick formula assuming he signs elsewhere in free agency.

It’s possible the Eagles could bring back Jernigan at a discounted rate. It’s hard to imagine Jernigan will have a robust market given that he barely played in 2018 after suffering a back injury that could’ve been career-ending. The fact that the 2019 NFL Draft is loaded with interior defensive line talent also works against Jernigan’s favor.

With Jernigan potentially leaving and 35-year-old Haloti Ngata set to be a free agent, the Eagles are in the market for a new starting defensive tackle next to Fletcher Cox. It’s very likely that Philadelphia will address their defensive line in this year’s NFL Draft.