Free Agency begins tomorrow at 4pm ET.
There have already been some major shakeups in the NFC East, though!
Things have already gotten pretty wild as the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants have all handled some internal business in hopes of competing with the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. In case you were living under a rock a la Patrick Star, I’m here to catch you up!
Washington Redskins
The Redskins finally bid farewell to their 2012 nightmare, Robert Griffin III. The move is unsurprising as RGIII didn’t play a single game in 2015 and Washington recently gave Kirk Cousins the franchise tag, but it’s still noteworthy as at one point in time Griffin III was one of the most electrifying young quarterbacks… you know, before he got the full Redskin on him.
Washington also released Defensive Tackle Jason Hatcher, who they signed after Hatcher’s stint with the Cowboys ended prior to the 2014 season. Hatcher never recaptured the magic that he did in 2013, his only Pro Bowl season, under the tutelage of Rod Marinelli in Washington and is now looking for a job.
Philadelphia Eagles
If you thought the Redskins were cleaning house then the Eagles were burning theirs down.
Just a year ago Philadelphia, guided by the supposed genius of Chip Kelly, traded away LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso and signed marquee free agents Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray. The season was a long one for the Philly faithful, much like all Eagles seasons, as the team they envisioned never materialized on the football field.
Early yesterday afternoon the Eagles traded away both Kiko and Maxwell to the Miami Dolphins in an effort to get rid of some nasty contracts. The NFL world was shocked that the Eagles found a taker for Chip Kelly’s big scores, but as deals cannot officially be processed until Free Agency officially begins we do not know what Miami gave up for them. It surely wasn’t much.
The makeover wasn’t finished though as the Eagles looked to ditch their biggest dead weight – DeMarco Murray. The 2014 Offensive Player of the Year was never even a shadow of himself last season in Philly and when you consider that he’s openly said how much he doesn’t want to be there you have to figure that even the Eagles had had enough. As a result Murray was, via a trade, banished to NFL purgatory – the Tennessee Titans.
All in all the Eagles freed up approximately an additional $10 million so it was a solid day at the office for their front office as they completely washed away the stench left behind by Chip Kelly.
New York Giants
There are some rumblings that the Giants are willing to cut Wide Receiver Victor Cruz if he doesn’t take a pay cut, but that’s an issue that won’t be fully discussed for some time. The big news came on Tuesday when the G-Men re-signed one of their own.
Giants and JPP reach agreement on a 1-year deal, as @RapSheet reported. JPP's deal worth up to $10.5 million. Arizona made late push for him
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2016
JPP’s re-signing is an interesting one as he was a potential bridge option for the Cowboys at the pass rusher position. Oh well. Let’s all give the Giants a hand on this one.
What do you make of the NFC East changes so far? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
