March 04, 2018
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles are expected to release starting defensive end Vinny Curry, in what is a salary dump to help get under the cap when the new league year begins on March 14.
The #Eagles are expected to release DE Vinny Curry, source said, putting another key pass-rusher on the market. He was due $9M this year. Up against the cap, Philly clears some needed cap space.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2018
Curry was not a "key pass rusher" in the NFL as Rapoport states, as he had nine sacks over the last three years, though he was a good player for the Eagles in 2017, particularly in the run game. Unfortunately, Curry's play simply did not match up with his pay. Here are the cap numbers for the remainder of Curry's contract:
The Eagles couldn't keep Curry around at those numbers. By releasing him now, the Eagles will save $5,000,000, but will also take a cap hit of $6,000,000 in dead money. That's a tough pill to swallow, but a necessary one.
Curry's release clears the way for second-year pro Derek Barnett to take over as the starter at RDE.
UPDATE: Backtrack alert. Orrrrrrrrr, they're trying to get him to take a pay cut:
The only caveat is the #Eagles are attempting to restructure and redo his deal. If that happens he could stay... will take a lot of work. https://t.co/O5EcFTgcAY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2018
(Eye roll emoji here.)
UPDATE #2: Lol
Update on the #Eagles and DE Vinny Curry after talking with a team official: They are currently in negotiations to try to keep Vinny Curry at a different salary. Teams are also interested in potential trading for him. It sounds like nothing is quite done yet.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2018
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