Don’t you wish to be in Dallas?
Well, no. You most likely don’t. And you most likely don’t wish to be in Oxnard, Calif., both, the place the Cowboys maintain coaching camp. You’re most likely an Eagles fan, and also you most likely don’t need something to do with Dallas or the Cowboys, apart from chuckling at them and never hiding the laughter nicely.
Micah Parsons desires a brand new contract, and Jerry Jones doesn’t wish to give him one, no less than not but. So Parsons has requested to be traded — in a press release that he wrote on his Notes app and that was longer than a Target receipt — and Jerrah, as he does every year at this time, is reveling in his and the Cowboys’ standing because the all-time kings of talk-show/social-media/watercooler/can-you-believe-what-they’re-doing dialog. The solely means Jones might strive more durable to hunt consideration can be if he confirmed up for a press convention carrying nothing however American Eagle denim, smiling coyly, and asking, Don’t I’ve nice denims?
OK, so that you don’t wish to take care of that mess. How about Ashburn, Va.? Terry McLaurin, the Washington Commanders’ excellent large receiver, has been so bothered by his negotiations for a brand new contract that he, like Parsons, has requested a commerce. And I, for one, am shocked — shocked! — {that a} Josh Harris-owned franchise is having points with a star participant.
Still not persuaded that life can be extra enjoyable and thrilling if you happen to didn’t root for such a uninteresting, buttoned-up staff? Fine. Check out the Eagles’ opponent of their preseason opener Thursday. The Cincinnati Bengals have probably the greatest go rushers within the NFL, Trey Hendrickson, who has 57 sacks over his 4 seasons with the staff.
Yet not solely have the Bengals failed to succeed in an extension settlement with Hendrickson, not solely is he “holding in” throughout coaching camp — exhibiting up however not working towards — however they listed him as their third-string defensive finish once they launched their first depth chart of the season. TOTAL FACIAL, TREY. The Real Housewives-level pettiness is sort of admirable.
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So, yeah, you could be glad that you simply don’t root for any of these groups. But I positive want I coated one among them repeatedly, as a result of this calm, uneventful Eagles coaching camp is for the birds. They simply gained the Super Bowl, and all their vital gamers are right here and appear fairly pleased, and the most important worries (for the second anyway) are whether or not they’ve adequately shored up these high-profile positions of … exterior cornerback and proper guard. Zzzzzz.
The drawback is that Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman have this annoying behavior of avoiding these sorts of contentious contract conditions. Granted, they’ve had their misses. They signed Carson Wentz to an extension for some huge cash for a very long time, then he determined he didn’t wish to be right here. They didn’t wish to rework Haason Reddick’s deal, then he made it recognized he wasn’t thrilled with being right here. And these two seasons, 2020 and 2023, have been … let’s say … rocky. Which was to be anticipated. Sure, Parsons and McLaurin and Hendrickson all would possibly find yourself signing extensions and placing on good faces, however these bruised emotions are likely to linger. It’s by no means reassuring or inspiring for elite athletes to search out out their groups aren’t completely dedicated to retaining them round.
Lurie, by way of his willingness to spend generously on gamers’ signing bonuses, and Roseman, by way of his and his employees’s negotiating and talent-evaluation abilities, have managed to maintain the Eagles aggressive and, largely, drama-free lately. Better to signal guys too early than too late, proper? That’s their pondering, and as coach Nick Sirianni stated Tuesday, “Howie’s the best in the world at what he does … and it works for us.”
Jalen Hurts; Saquon Barkley; A.J. Brown; DeVonta Smith; Lane Johnson; Cam Jurgens; Jordan Mailata; Zack Baun; even Dallas Goedert, who everybody thought can be traded in the course of the offseason: They’re all again, and their presences enable the Eagles to take care of continuity on their roster and a very good tradition inside their locker room.
“I do think it brings a sense of confidence,” stated Hurts, who signed a five-year extension with the Eagles as quickly as he was eligible for one, after his third season within the NFL. “You can kind of see a trend on how things go, whether it be by position or timing or things like that. Howie’s always done a great job of doing what he does. He’s been very intentional about his decisions. It’s continued to put us in a great place. So as a player, as a quarterback, I want to hold up on my end and do what I’m asked to do.”
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The Eagles drafted Smith two picks forward of Parsons in 2021. He signed a three-year extension in April of 2024. Parsons continues to be ready for Jones to blink (if he’s nonetheless succesful, after all of the beauty surgical procedures).
“It brings that family environment, knowing that Howie and they feel comfortable extending guys when it’s their time,” Smith stated. “Getting it done, it makes you feel like you’re part of something special.”
Fine. But it makes these of us who must cowl this staff really feel like we’re a part of one thing boooorrrrrinnnnngggg. Come on, DeVonta, can’t you curse out a coach or do some stomach-crunches or one thing?