Word came out yesterday that Eagles offensive guard Landon Dickerson was hitting Injured Reserve. This was not surprising considering his performance in Week 1. To say it was bad is an understatement. He was virtually non-competitive in his blocking assignments and he was a big part of the reason the offense never had time to develop. I want to go into his contract situation and play out what can happen from here
First thing’s first, I love Landon Dickerson. That’s not just because of how he has put his body and health in harm’s way to help my team win either. Since before he was drafted, I have heard the stories of how he helped his teammates through COVID and has been the kind of leader you hope for in a best friend. He’s just a great person who would probably do anything you asked just because you asked it.
He is very obviously hurt. Whether it’s a short or long term injury, that’s the question. In taking responsibility for his performance against Washington, he makes it clear that he thinks it’s a short term bone bruise that will allow him to come back at full health later in the year. He said he spent 7 figures this off-season getting his body healthy and this is simply something different than the back and knee injuries that were hampering him last year. He also might be cooked. We don’t know.
If this is a temporary thing, great. Have Drew Kendall or Willie Lampkin come in and take care of things for a few games before he comes back healthy. If not, the Eagles are prepared. Not only are Kendall and Lampkin probably starters on most teams, but the Eagles adjusted Dickerson’s contract this offseason knowing full well that his health is a wildcard. He didn’t end up giving back much money, but the new deal makes it very easy for him to retire after this season.
Dickerson’s contract calls for a little more than $1m base plus a $20.5m option bonus that is not due until Week 1. A little more than $2m of this is guaranteed. This means that the Eagles and Dickerson can basically use the whole offseason to see where his health is. If it is clear that he can no longer play, he can retire after June 1 at minimal cost to the team, just that guaranteed $2m. For cap purposes, this means his $14m cap hit for 2027 gets reduced to around $5.5m. There is still $6.75m worth of cap meat left on the bone for 2027, but that would be down from his projected $18m hit. Needless to say, if Dickerson can’t play, he will not be on the roster next year just because he is an awesome guy.
Should Dickerson be good to go next year then show similar skill deterioration, a similar cap landscape is present for 2028 and 2029. He could retire after June 1, 2028 and cost roughly $5m against the cap that season and then $1.5m in 2029.
We don’t have to have these conversations yet and hopefully he comes back healthy. Just know that Howie Roseman and the Eagles are very prepared for whatever Landon can do in the future.
Contracts: OvertheCap.com
Photo: Sportslogos.net
Leave a Reply