Pederson says Cox to miss minicamp
Eagles coach Doug Pederson doesn’t expect Fletcher Cox, who already missed the first two weeks of voluntary workouts, to be at this week’s minicamp.
If the answer to the question of whether Fletcher Cox's absence during spring workouts affects the Eagles' upcoming season was a "yes" or "no" one, there wouldn't be much use for the following 900 words or so.
Most likely, it won't have an impact, but it could, especially if the Eagles and the Pro Bowl defensive tackle can't come to an agreement on a new contract before mandatory minicamp from June 7-9.
June 7 isn't exactly D-Day because Cox is under contract for one more season and has about 100 million reasons to report as a happy camper. His 2016 salary ($7.799 million) isn't exactly chump change, and with another elite season he could increase his worth even more than it is already.
But Cox, it appears, doesn't want to head into his fifth year without a multiyear contract. He otherwise would have attended the last two weeks of workouts — those afforded to new coach Doug Pederson. And Cox isn't expected for this week's minicamp, according to Pederson.
Cox and his agent, Todd France, haven't responded to requests for comment, but it's safe to ascertain that shopping for sconces wasn't his reason for being the only Eagles player to miss the previous two weeks.
"I'm OK with Fletcher Cox not being here," Pederson said. "It's a voluntary program offseason-wise. Do we miss him? Yeah, we miss him and would love to have him around. But right now he's hopefully keeping himself in shape and getting ready to go."
The workouts are "voluntary" (wink-wink), and tackle Jason Peters opted to stay away for the first week, but the 73 other Eagles on the roster showed up for Pederson's first impression. There are new schemes and culture to implement and full participation was likely the new coach's hope.
But you won't hear Eagles say so. No. 1, they can't. And No. 2, they don't want to poke Cox. There isn't anything to gain in angering the team's best defensive player, and why risk the chance that he may actually blow off June minicamp, or even worse, holdout from training camp?
Negotiations have been ongoing for months and there have likely been some frustrating moments for Cox. He has had watch from the sidelines as the Eagles handed out long-term extensions to players drafted a year after him (Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz), a round after him (Vinny Curry) and two years into free-agent contracts (Malcolm Jenkins).
But Cox's potential deal has significantly more heft, and he has an agent who is considered among the tougher negotiators. While Johnson, Ertz, Curry, and Jenkins had the comfort of getting their extensions out of the way before the start of the new league year in March, they didn't use time to their advantage.
Cox has leverage because the team's executive vice president of football operations, Howie Roseman, has made it clear that the Eagles have every intention of keeping the 25-year old "here for a long time."
"We're not trying to play the leverage game," Roseman said. "I think if we were playing leverage games, I'd be more careful about my words. Calling him a great player, someone that we want here for a long time — this is not one we're trying to play a game.
"We're trying to sign him. We're trying to extend him. We're trying to do something that all of us can feel real good about. We understand that's going to hurt us. We're not going to win the deal. We're not trying to win the deal. There's no purpose in that when you're talking about a guy who one day we hope we're talking about a long time from now as one of the great Eagles of all time."
While Roseman's comments could be construed as him volleying the ball back into Cox's court, the impression here is that he is being sincere. He wants a good deal, naturally, but he also knows that he has arguably one of the top two or three interior linemen in the NFL and a defensive tackle who may be even more disruptive as the Eagles return to an attacking 4-3 defense.
Roseman has never been one to needle players involved in contractual disputes, but his stance with Cox is noteworthy considering how Chip Kelly handled Evan Mathis' spring absence a year ago. The two players' situations are obviously different, but did Kelly have to go out of his way to tell reporters that he hadn't received any trade offers for Mathis during the draft?
Two months later, just before Mathis said he was set to report for minicamp, Kelly released him. The guard misplayed his hand and lost millions, but he ultimately netted a Super Bowl ring. Kelly had no replacement of comparable skills and the decision was just one of his many mistakes in charge of personnel.
Cox and the Eagles don't appear to be anywhere near that sort of showdown. While his ability and the team's need to lock him down long-term give him a strong hand, the Eagles still have two additional years to utilize the franchise tag and retain Cox with one-year deals.
Roseman has used no such language. He scoffed at the idea of a trade.
"Fletcher Cox is going to be on our team," Roseman said. "He's going to be on our team going forward. We are not trading Fletcher Cox."
But business is business. Pederson said that he hasn't recently spoken to Cox. There was a report that France turned down an offer from the Eagles that would have guaranteed his client $60 million, but the typically press-shy agent went on local sports talk radio and denied the claim.
A day or so later, Cox posted on Twitter: "So easy to spin the truth. #devilisinthedetails." He likely thought a deal would have been worked out by the start of the offseason program on April
But Cox isn't here and he isn't likely to show up for any of organized team activities after the draft. It isn't time to panic.
"These things are complicated sometimes," Roseman said, "and they take time."
Time is not yet of the essence.