Philly Front Office

It has been about two weeks and it’s time for our first off-season wellness check. Everyone still feeling great? Has the Super Bowl sunk in to the point where your Go Birds is now down to a casual greeting rather than a full force declaration of purpose? Live it up while we can friends because the off season waits for no one, and it is a lot closer than we realize. Everything happens over the next 9 weeks. Let’s get you prepared for that Super Bowl hangover workday.

NFL Combine

You just woke up and you need that coffee just to get your bearings. You should probably stretch too, because the off-season is just beginning. No pressure yet though. This is just enough to open your eyes and get you thinking about next season.

Just take it in. Will someone break the 40 record? What tight ends should we be paying attention to? This is pure entertainment with no commitment.

The Combine technically starts today, but drills do not begin until February 27 and they run through March 3. For those looking to target daily distractions, here is what to know:

• February 27
  • Defensive Lineman and Linebackers on field testing and drills
• February 28
  • Defensive Lineman and Linebackers bench press
  • Defensive Backs and Tight Ends on field testing and drills
• March 1
  • Defensive Backs and Tight Ends bench press
  • Running backs and Receivers on field testing and drills
• March 2
  • Running backs and Receivers bench press
  • Offensive Linemen on field testing and drills
• March 3
  • Offensive Linemen bench press

Franchise Tag Deadline

The showering and getting dressed part of the day. Do you have your keys? Your phone? Everything in its right place.

The NFL doesn’t just allow free agency outright to players with expired contracts. Teams are allowed to place franchise tags on players in order to keep them another season. The deadline is March 4 at 4pm. The players do not have to sign these one year contracts right away. In fact, they have until July 15 to try to work out multi-year extensions.

There are three types of franchise tags and each team only gets to use each of them one time per offseason.

• Exclusive Franchise Tag – This is the one everyone hears about. Players are at the whim of their current team and cannot negotiate with anyone else. The player gets either a 120% single season raise or an average of the top 5 salaries at the position. Determining the position is not always easy and is the source of a lot of contention. Linebackers include Defensive Linemen (but not vice versa), so they rarely get franchised. Deebo Samual was told previously he was a cheaper Running Back rather than a more expensive Receiver and the same almost always goes for good Tight Ends like Jimmy Graham a few years back.
• Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag – This does not get used enough. Players can negotiate with other teams, but the incumbent team has the right to match the offer like a restricted free agent in the NBA. If the offer is not matched, the new team has to give the old team TWO FIRST ROUND PICKS!!! Crazy.
• Transition Tag – This is a mix of the other two. Players get top 10 money at their position or a 120% raise, whichever is higher. However, they can also negotiate with other teams. If they switch teams though, there is no longer compensation attached.

Here are this year’s Franchise and Transition Tag Values as per OverTheCap.com:

Free Agency

Answering emails and returning phone calls. This is work, time for the A-game.

It’s also the fun stuff. Between March 10 at noon and March 12 at 4pm, teams and free agents are allowed to talk. This is called the legal tampering period. Contracts can be negotiated and agreed to but not signed until the tampering period is over. That March 12 at 4pm deadline is when the league new year officially begins. All teams must be cap compliant by that time. Despite no one technically being allowed to talk at this time, deals are going to be discussed long before this through “back channels” like notes passed in middle school.

NFL Draft

Time to earn your money. This is why you became an NFL fan, especially an Eagles fan. No one is doing more work on Draft weekend than Howie Roseman and us.

The NFL Draft kicks off with Round 1 at 8pm on Thursday April 26. However, you should make it a point to watch the movie Draft Day at any point in the week leading up to the event. Get yourself properly prepared. The movie isn’t very good or accurate, but goddamn I can’t get enough of it. Rounds 2 and 3 are the following day beginning at 7pm. Rounds 4-7 begin at noon on Saturday.

What Else?

I hope you drank in moderation. Only a few shotgunned beers and keep the shots to a minimum. We are still having a good time, but you don’t want to miss anything.

Keep in mind that at any time the Eagles can work out extensions with their free agents and other extension eligible players. This is Howie SZN and he could strike at any moment.