Weaver deal delayed; Eagles announce tenders
Negotiations between the Eagles and Leonard Weaver broke down tongiht, but the fullback's agent is confident a deal can be struck by tomorrow.
Weaver deal delayed; Eagles announce tenders
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Negotiations between the Eagles and Leonard Weaver broke down tongiht, but the fullback's agent is confident a deal can be struck by tomorrow.
"We're very close," Harold Lewis said. "There are some things they need to sleep on and there are some things I need to sleep on. The bottom line is Leonard wants to stay in Philly and the Eagles want him back. The rest is easy."
Weaver, in the meantime, received a second-round draft pick tender, the team announced.
The Eagles also released the rest of their tenders: CB Ellis Hobbs (1st round compensation), FB Leonard Weaver (2nd round), WR Jason Avant (2nd round), G/C Nick Cole (2nd round), LB Akeem Jordan (2nd round), LB Chris Gocong (3rd round), G Max Jean-Gilles (4th round), LB Omar Gaither (5th round), and P Sav Rocca (no compensation).
If another club signs one of these players to an offer sheet, the Eagles have seven days to match the offer. If they chose not to match, the club will receive 2010 draft pick compensation listed in parentheses after each player’s name. NFL teams are permitted to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets from March 5 to April 15.
Tight end Alex Smith was not tendered.
FROM EARLIER:
With the midnight deadline fast approaching, the Eagles are locking up most of their restricted free agents with tenders.
Wide receiver Jason Avant, guard Nick Cole and linebacker Akeem Jordan have received second-round tenders, according to various sources. Avant and Cole, with four years of experience, would earn $1.759 million next season if the Eagles were to retain the RFAs. Jordan, with three years, would get $1.684 million in salary.
If another team were to try and sign the players, the Eagles would have seven days to match the offer. If they chose not to, the Eagles would get back a second-round draft pick in compensation. Cornerback Ellis Hobbs has also reportedly received a second-round tender.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are trying to lock up fullback Leonard Weaver to a multi-year deal before the deadline. According to Weaver's agent, Harold Lewis, negotiations were still ongoing as of this morning. Weaver has expressed his desire to stay in Philly and the Eagles are hoping to keep other interested teams away from the Pro Bowler.
The rest of the Eagles' restricted free agents have either received low tenders or are expected to. Linebacker Omar Gaither received the low tender for a restricted free agent with four years of service, his agent Todd France said today. Linebacker Chris Gocong, guard Max Jean-Gilles and Sav Rocca have been tendered at levels equal to or relatively equal to that of Gaither. The Eagles aren't expected to tender a contract to tight end Alex Smith.
Gaither would bring the Eagles a fifth-round draft pick in compensation if another team wished to sign the 25-year-old. The Eagles originially drafted Gaither in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. If an offer was made from another team, the Eagles would have seven days to match. Otherwise if Gaither comes back next year he would be slated to earn $1.176 million.
The low offer gives an indication of how the Eagles value Gaither, who is coming off a Lisfranc injury to his left foot. Gaither started last season at middle linebacker after Stewart Bradley tore his ACL, but saw his season end when he injured his foot against the Raiders in Game 5. Gaither, who can also play weak-side linebacker, offers flexibility so the Eagles could be willing to bring him back for next season.
Jordan started ten games last season, mostly at weak-side linebacker. He was one of the better players on defense during the early portion of the season until he hyperextended his knee. The Eagles then moved him to middle linebacker where he struggled. Jordan was an undrafted free agenct out of Division I-AA James Madison. If he returns next season, he would likely compete with Will Witherspoon for the weak-side linebacker job.
And a clarification: The deadline for the Michael Vick $1.5 million roster bonus isn't until March 9. The date had first been reported as March 5 and then March 10, but it is March 9, the fifth day of the 2010 league year.
Check back today for more updates.
Goin' Cheap!— Big Ragu- It's not being cheap, Gaither doesn't fit our defense. If LB is the way they go in the draft or FA, then we mine as well get a pick out of it and use that as more ammo to move up in the first round. Wish him the best, but he's better off playing inside in a 3-4 defense.— Bleue
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Bleue: LBs we should keep are: Bradley, Fouku, Jordan, Tracy White (special teams and best LB we have for pass defense) and Gocong (not as an LB though, let him rush the passer and see what he can do). I would like to see one of the top LBs drafted, Weatherspoon or Spikes, and then a late pick similar to the 7th spent on Fouku— The Reddgie
- Jeff, if the Eagles match the offer, they have to pay him the offer that they're matching -- not the $1.176M. They only pay that amount if he does not sign an offer sheet with another team, thus would sign the Eagles tender if he wanted to return. Also, the Eagles get a 5th round pick if they DON'T match...not if they match. I know what you meant, but some readers may not.— dawk2020
- why os that cheap?— ec420de
- Great writing! By getting ALL of the main points wrong you certified yourself as a perfect Philly.com writer.— KeepsItReal
- Peppers = Kearse (knee injury away from implosion), also Sproles = Mitchell (#30, not #84)? As Tom Petty says "the waiting is the hardest part". We all must wait for our beloved Iggs to tip their hand as to what they will do, or won't do. The hype sometimes can be fun to prognosticate, predict, & ponder about. How's that for a thought?!— 1611kjv
- Reddgie, Gocong is history. New England likes him as an outside rusher, and if he plays DE for the Birds, it's Jason Babin all over again, minus the tat's. I do think this is the year that AR goes for a backer, if and only if he gets one of the other holes filled in FA, i.e. back up RB, DE, LB or safety. Otherwise, it'll probably be the same routine of OL in 1st, OL in 2nd, OL with both 3rd's, and then defense.— Bleue
- Bleue, if NE is interested in Gocong, all the more reason to tender him. And you are wrong about the drafting, it will be trade our 1st to trade down for a 2nd and take an OL, trade our 2nd and trade down for a pair of 4ths and take an OL and DL, etc...— The Reddgie
- we'll know what the eagles think about gocong when they tender him. he should get a higher tender than gaither.
- I agree you tender him, knowing that you can get a pick back, but don't overdue it. Tender him a 4th or 5th, and you can get something back. All in all though, it's going to be ridiculous trying to follow the number of picks trading hands in the next 7-10 days as teams add picks from rfa's leaving the teams, and lose picks from taking other rfa's. What an offseason starting in ten hours or so!— Bleue
- Question: If you tender a player and that player signs it (meaning they don't leave), is their tendered salary guaranteed for the season? Meaning, is the player owed that money if they sign a tender and are cut in training camp?— londoncalling
- I wish someone offered me a chicken tender... starvin!— Big Game
