Offensive tackle Jason Peters shouldn’t have to take a pay cut.
It was the Eagles, not Peters, that offered him a deal that gave him an $11.7 million cap hit in 2017, when the team knew he was be 35-years old.
This is the bed the Eagles made.
Yes, the suspension of Lane Johnson, the decision by Chip Kelly to essentially not draft any offensive lineman in three seasons, and Peters playing 16-games last season made it a harder bed to lay in, but it is still the bed this team made nonetheless.
That being said, that doesn’t mean Peters should say no to the Eagles’ reported request that he takes a pay cut.
A call to Peters’ agent in an attempt to confirm the report was not returned.
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Even though Peters could tell the team no, and they would likely keep him anyway because of their desperate need for serviceable offensive linemen, it makes sense for both parties to get a deal done.
Peters is currently signed through 2018, but prior to the the 2018 season, Peters can be released and walk away with nothing. Doing so would save the Eagles $9.25 million dollars, and it is a decision they will almost certainly make.
By re-doing his deal now, however, when the Eagles need him to, Peters could guarantee he is back for the 2018 season, and make sure he ends up pocketing some of that 2018 salary.
It is up to cap-guru Howie Roseman, the team’s top personnel executive, to come up with a deal that would help Peters in 2018, and also help the Eagles in 2017. Maybe the Eagles could take the $10 million Peters will make this season, split it into two, and give him another $2 million for his troubles, making his cap hit $6 million each of the next two seasons.
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Even though that is less than the $20 million Peters is set to make on his current deal, chances are he won’t end up seeing that full $20 million anyway. By taking a deal where he splits this season’s salary into two, and gets a little more on top, Peters essentially guarantees himself employment over the next seasons, instead of entering 2017 in the same situation he was in 2016 — needing to have a Pro Bowl season to ensure he would be back.
Peters made that bet in 2016, and he won. Now, he has the Eagles right where he wants them — needing him back, but also needing to save money.
Peters could very well just say no, and pocket all of his salary this season.
Instead, however, Peters should work with the team, get a little extra cash for his trouble, and guarantee he retires an Eagle.
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Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.
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