Philadelphia Eagles face near $300m salary cap debt and ‘financial gymnastics’ after failing in Super Bowl pursuit

THE Philadelphia Eagles spent big in pursuit of glory in a move that may cause the franchise issues down the road.

General manager Howie Roseman aggressively pursued a Super Bowl win, but his team fell short.

Getty

Getty

Now, he faces the daunting task of managing Philadelphia ‘s salary cap.

NFL analyst Chris Kouffman says Eagles bosses have racked up $300 million in future salary cap debt.

That money has already been paid out by the franchise but does not affect current cap calculations.

The NFL’s current annual salary limit is $255.4 million.

Philadelphia’s future hit is the highest in football – $40 million clear of the New Orleans Saints , who have the second most.

The cap rose by $30.6 million in 2024 but the Eagles’ execs will need to get creative.

Eagles writers say Roseman is known for his “financial gymnastics”, and his reputation will be put to the test.

The Eagles had a major offseason revamp with Saquon Barkley (three years, $37.5 million, Bryce Huff (three years, $51.5 million) and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (three years, $33 million) all arriving via free agency.

Guard Landon Dickerson (four years, $84 million), tackle Jordan Mailata (three years, $66 million), kicker Jake Elliott (four years, $24 million), receiver DeVonta Smith (three years, $75 million), and receiver A.J. Brown (three years, $96 million) all agreed bumper extensions.

But Roseman’s biggest task will be replacing retired center Jason Kelce.

“How do you replace a guy like that?” asked co-host of the Pat McAfee Show A.J. Hawk about Kelce.

“Can you talk a little bit about what he actually meant to that franchise and the people there and everything about it because that guy is just… a real gem.

“He seems to be somebody I feel like from all corners of the Earth you have to love that dude.”

“The best and you don’t replace that,” Roseman replied.

“And I think that it would be disingenuous to even pretend that we’re going to replace Jason Kelce.

“The person and the player. And I mean this is a first ballot HOFer, both on and off the field.

“And so, I think for us we gotta continue to build the team. It’s the ultimate team game to understand that he is a huge loss.”

Guard Cam Jurgens is set to slot in at center for the Eagles and knows how big a task faces him.

“It does feel a little weird – Kelce’s gone, and they moved my locker over to his,” Jurgens admitted during preseason workouts.

“Obviously, that’s a little weird and I ended up in the wrong locker a couple of times. I’m like ‘Oh, man. This isn’t mine anymore.’

“So, it’s getting used to things and it’s fun getting back here and into the groove of things.”