Eagles LB Nicholas Morrow Major Pay Cut: 'Can't Believe It!' Says Cap Expert
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles had a disciplined plan coming into free agency back in March with little cap room, a massive extension looming with star quarterback Jalen Hurts since finalized, and a host of accomplished players hitting the market off a Super Bowl LVII appearance.
To boil it down, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman understood he would be losing some key players and had his eye on maxing out potential 2024 compensatory picks while re-stocking with some veteran talent with upside on one-year, prove-it deals.
Most who fit into that category -- both potential contributors like running back Rashaad Penny, safety Terrell Edmunds, and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, as well as depth signings like safety Justin Evans, cornerback Greedy Williams, and defensive tackle Kentavius Street got between $500,000 and $650K to put pen to paper.
The lone exception is the player with the clearest path (along with Edmunds) to playing time, linebacker Nicholas Morrow, who signed a one-year, $1.09 million deal with absolutely no guaranteed money.
It was a curious deal, to say the least, because the sixth-year pro was coming off a season in which he started all 17 games for Chicago as a three-down linebacker and led the Bears in tackles with 116, including 11 for loss.
With training camp a month away, Morrow, who will turn 28 on July 10, is expected to begin the summer as the starter at Will LB, coupled with second-year player Nakobe Dean taking over the Mike responsibilities after Philadelphia lost 2022-23 starters T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in free agency.
While contracts don't tell the whole story with players they can foreshadow what an organization thinks so we ran Morrow's deal by leading independent salary cap analyst Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus and OvertheCap.com.
"I like Nicholas Morrow. I can't believe Philly got him for a minimum contract," Spielberger told SI.com's Eagles Today. "I didn't think he was going to sign a huge contract but I thought he would be similar to Kyzir White [last season], one-year, $3 million, some incentives, that type of contract.”
Spielberger had forecasted more on the open market for Morrow but quickly focused on fit when it came to the veteran and how important going from the NFC's worst team to the conference's best could improve the player's future earning power.
"I wouldn't be shocked if he had a better offer from another team but if it was a half million [more] instead of 1.2M and maybe $500,000 was guaranteed or whatever the case may be, [that] basically just guarantees you a spot on the training camp roster and not much else," Spielberger said.
The method to the madness of leaving money on the table is right back to the market in a year, presumably with a better resume after playing with a better defense.
"It's basically this guy came here because he wants to have a spotlight play a bunch of prime-time games, play behind the best defensive line in football after probably playing behind the worst last year in Chicago," said Spielberger. “... Build his cachet to get a better contract after the year.”
Like the rest of the players with minimal guarantees, Morrow will have to earn his spot in camp or be released but Spielberger sees value in the signing.
“He's a consistent player. He can play Will. He can play Mike and can do a lot of different things. ... He a good football player," Spielberger said. “... [The contract] wouldn't scare me too much but I understand the [concerns]."
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
