Could Kearse Be Staying?

Yesterday, I jokingly referred to the upcoming profile of Jevon Kearse on PE.com.  I didn't really understand why the site -- which gets to choose the order of the players it looks at -- would put Kearse up front, since there's a good chance he's not going to be around in a couple weeks.

The profile is now up ... I'm starting wonder about that ...

A couple of snippets.  First Bob Kent:

Now Kearse -- and the Eagles, for that matter -- are at a crossroads. He must find a way to get healthy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia must keep its options open at a position so critical in today's NFL. The lack of a consistent pass rush in 2007 certainly played a part in the team coming up with just 19 takeaways on the season.

Still, for two seasons Kearse was a steady defensive end who recorded 7 ½ sacks each year. He had his moments, just not enough. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson often lauded Kearse as someone who played with energy, played hard against the run and was durable.

Speculation is that the Eagles will part ways with Kearse, but that speculation is all on the outside. There has been no official word from the team. And now here we are, waiting to see what happens.

And Spadaro:

The Eagles have to calculate how much better Kearse will be two years removed from his injury, and then factor in his cost in the salary cap and then discuss whether he will remain in Philadelphia. With Trent Cole, Juqua Thomas and Victor Abiamiri, the Eagles have three ends who are very likely to remain. They need at least two other ends to be productive pieces of this defense.

Kearse is in the crossroads of his career and there is no hiding that much. The Eagles have a tough decision to make here. If they say goodbye to Kearse, they have to bring in production. If they keep Kearse, they have to absorb a big salary-cap hit and hope he comes back and is a productive pass rusher.

There's certainly no reason the Eagles have to ditch Kearse.  They're well under the cap for 2008 and cutting Kearse only saves them about $4.5 million against the cap ($8.5 M vs. the $4 M in dead money if he's cut).  They can split the dead money over two years if they want, but the real question is what that added cap space gets them.

I've said it a couple times already, but this is going to be a terrible year for free agency.  Every team -- well, not the Redskins -- is swimming in cap room.  If you've got a big name free agent on your team, there's simply no reason to let him get away. 

There will be a couple of big names who move on, but for the most part those are guys who have other things going on, like Asante Samuel and Lance Briggs.  Both players have been dealing with the franchise thing for a couple years.  Beyond that, high-profile free agents aren't going to be there. 

So if you're the Eagles, what's the point of cutting Kearse? 

1. You won't save much money.
2. You won't be able to spend that money bringing in big-time help
3. You'll just get criticized if you don't spend the money.
4. There aren't any other young guys left to lock up with long-term deals.
5. And most importantly, the team's biggest need in free agency is a pass-rushing defensive end. 

Jevon Kearse is a pass-rushing defensive end.

I'm going to take a stab at a guess at what's happening here.  As is their wont, the Eagles are taking a wait and see approach to how this plays out.  They want to see if some of the other big name defensive ends are going to hit the market.  If one does, and if he fits the system and is young enough to be worth a big-time contract, they will definitely make a play for him.  In that situation, Kearse will be cut.  BUT, if they can't make anything else happen, they'll hang on to Kearse, maybe asking if they can move some of his money around (or turn it into incentives) to make him a little more affordable.

Of course, Drew Rosenhaus is his agent.

Comments

[Brian]

He needs to stay healthy, I think he could still have a year left in him. Although, its better to cut a player a year early then hold on to him a year too long.

[Morty]

You make a strong case, that even if the Iggles do end up cutting Kearse, they should at least be patient about it, perhaps even waiting until training camp to see how he shows up. I remember G Cobb exposing Kearse's lack of commitment to training. Perhaps this year he treats like a contract year. Iggles could be the beneficiary.