Backup Halapoulivaati Vaitai Gets Starter's Money
Some Eagles players who helped win the Super Bowl in 2017 are scattering to the wind.
On Mondya, the first day of the three-day free agency legal tampering period, the Eagles decided not to tender restricted free agent running back Corey Clement then, hours later, the team said good-bye to offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Detroit Lions.
Vaitai was a free agent and there had been some thought that maybe he would end up returning if nobody paid him starter’s money. Well, the Lions stepped up to the plate and did it on the very first day.
Known as Big V, he was one of the catalysts on the Eagles’ Super Bowl winning offensive line, taking over at left tackle when Jason Peters got hurt in the seventh game of the 2017 season.
Vaitai, a fifth-round draft pick from TCU in 2016, started 10 games as the Eagles secured the top seed then made all three starts in the playoffs, including Super Bowl LII. He became a valuable swing tackle for the team and, last year, added guard to his resume as he began learning that position.
His departure leaves the Eagles without their top OL backup, and it is a position that could force the Eagles to take along look at in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The team also decided to let Clement test free agency, which officially begins Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Clement was the breakout star from the Super Bowl season as an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin. He ran for 321 yards and four touchdowns, adding another 10 catches for 123 yards and two scores.
He became just the fourth rookie in NFL history to record at least 100 receiving yards in a Super Bowl, including a 55-yard reception and a brilliant 22-yard touchdown catch during the 41-33 win over New England.
So far, the Eagles have been relatively quiet on opening day, handing out only a one-year contract to free-agent-to-be Hassan Ridgeway, a defensive tackle that missed nine games last year after being put on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury.