There is a problem brewing on the left side of the Eagles’ offensive line, potentially a big one.
It was widely assumed Jason Peters would slide over to his long-time spot at left tackle now that Andre Dillard is out for the year. No brainer, right? Wait, not so fast.
According to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, Peters won’t switch back to left tackle without proper compensation. He signed a one-year, $3 million contract to play right guard, a reasonable offer sheet for one of the greatest tackles in NFL history.
Things have changed dramatically with Dillard gone. Peters is no dummy and he knows the Eagles are in a bind. He also understands the injury risk is much greater moving to the outside, from right guard to left tackle.
Sources: Jason Peters to #Eagles: Pay me more to play left tackle.
My story on why Doug Pederson hedged on moving the future Hall of Famer back to his long time position after Andre Dillard’s injury.
The 38-year-old wants to be paid like a starting left tackle before he commits to switching positions. What’s that figure? Somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million per year, or Peters’ salary from 2019. His current contract makes him around the 20th-highest-paid right guard in the league but only around the 30th-highest-paid left tackle.
The highest-paid left tackle in the league, Laremy Tunsil, makes $22 million per year while Dillard was due roughly $3.1 million. Peters falls in the middle of that group, guys like the Steelers’ Alejandro Villanueva and the Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley feel like fair comparisons right now.
Eagles are looking at Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata at LT with Jason Peters at right guard in first practice since Andre Dillard went down
But you would have to think Jason Peters will be the left tackle in the end
📸 #Eagles
Meanwhile, Doug Pederson remained vague about the Eagles’ plan at left tackle. Matt Pryor saw the majority of first-team snaps there during Saturday’s practice, although the head coach floated Peters’ name out as another option. Pederson didn’t mention money being a factor in the final decision.
“Jason Peters is obviously in the conversation,” Pederson told reporters on Saturday morning. “We do have some young players, Jordan Mailata, Matt Pryor. Jack Driscoll, who’s a [fourth-round] rookie, obviously, but has been playing some tackle for us.”
Peters hasn’t publicly commented on the matter and his agent couldn’t be reached for comment. One thing is certain, “The Bodyguard” has all the leverage.
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Former Undrafted Tight End, Future Hall of Fame Tackle
Peters came into the league as an undrafted free agent tight end in 2004. He was actually cut by the Buffalo Bills in his rookie year before the team brought him back and moved him to the offensive line.
Peters didn’t even make it past the first round of cuts, or when the roster gets trimmed down from 80 to 65 players. Former teammate Ross Tucker (now a color commentator for the Eagles) recently appeared on the Adam Lefkoe Show and told the mythical-yet-totally true story.
“The day they moved him to the offensive line, he was playing tight end, and they had him come down and do 1-on-1s,” Tucker told Adam Lefkoe. “And I was never really good at 1-on-1s. It’s a very difficult drill for an offensive lineman. Jason came down and they put him at offensive tackle. Nobody could beat him.”
This @RossTuckerNFL story about rookie year Jason Peters is awesome.
“He was better at it in five seconds than I was in 18 years.“
#Eagles
Watch: t.co/LweCnM2h2W
Tucker, who played offensive line for three seasons in the NFL, was embarrassed by how quickly Peters picked up the position.
“He was better at doing something for five seconds than I had been for 18 years,” Tucker said. “He had no idea what he was doing. His technique was all over the place. But his feet were that good and his arms were that long. They put some legit rushers up against him, too. I’m talking like Aaron Schobel. They couldn’t get anywhere.”
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Eagles’ Jason Peters Demands Pay Raise to Switch Positions: Report