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The “Steven Nelson Watch” has begun in Philadelphia as the calendar quickly turns toward June 1. The free-agent cornerback has been linked to 14 teams since being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles were one of them.
Nelson is waiting for the right fit and opportunity, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but the main issue will come down to money as it always does. Nelson, who calls himself “Island” on Twitter, believes he is an elite cornerback and wants the long-term contract to match that label. He was scheduled to make $8.25 in salary in 2021 during the final season of the three-year, $25.5 million contract he inked with Pittsburgh in 2019. Both sides decided to walk away.
The 28-year-old feels he outperformed that and wants to be compensated. Nelson recently took to social media to plead his case to the Eagles and any other team that wants his services by asking: “Do you wanna win or be average?” It’s not an exaggeration to think the former third-round pick (2015) may be clamoring for a long-term deal in the neighborhood of $50 million. Nelson has previously stated that he believes he could sign anywhere.
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Eagles Freeing Up $16.3 Million Post-June 1
The Eagles are expected to clear $16.3 million thanks to post-June 1 designations on Monday. Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson, and (presumably) Zach Ertz will all officially come off the books at 4 p.m. Some have detailed how that extra loot can be thrown at Nelson or maybe Julio Jones.
That makes for a fun trip to the rumor mill, but some of that money is already accounted for. Remember, the Eagles have to sign their 10 shiny rookies and the new guys will eat up roughly $3.6 million of the added cap space.
The Eagles have plenty of work to do between now and the season opener on Sept. 12. General manager Howie Roseman mentioned continuing to tweak the roster ahead of that date.
“We don’t start playing until September. There’s a lot of work to be done on this roster,” Roseman told reporters on May 1. “That’s an everyday process. That doesn’t end today. And it really won’t end up until really the trade deadline when we have opportunities to add to this team.”
Andre Dillard, Possible Trade Bait?
Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice threw out an interesting thought in his musings on June 1. He was examining potential trade victims on the Eagles’ roster and threw Andre Dillard’s name into the mix. The 22nd overall pick from the 2019 draft is coming off bicep surgery and there is no guarantee he is the starting left tackle in 2021. He’ll have to fight for the job against Jordan Mailata.
Mailata was impressive during his part-time audition at left tackle last year, so maybe the Eagles feel comfortable moving forward with him. If so, they could look to trade Dillard and save themselves $1.6 million in the process. Kempski also mentioned Brandon Brooks as a possible trade casualty.
Dillard’s dead money hit if traded would be $3,508,768, of which $1,754,384 could be delayed until 2022 if dealt after June 1. It would actually cost the Eagles a small amount ($134,692) more against the cap to trade Dillard prior to June 1, while it would be a savings of $1,619,692 if dealt after June 1.
https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/1399310943973163013?s=20
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