One day after agreeing to a four-year contract extension with tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles announced that they have also come to terms on a three-year contract extension with cornerback Avonte Maddox. According to multiple reports, it’s a three-year deal worth $22.5 million with $13.3 million guaranteed at signing.
Both Goedert and Maddox were drafted by the Eagles in 2018. Goedert was selected in the second round, while Maddox was selected in the fourth round with the team’s next pick. The Eagles only drafted five players in 2018, and four of them (Goedert, Maddox, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Mailata) have now signed extensions in the last several months. Matt Pryor, a fifth-round pick that year, was traded to the Indianapolis Colts right before the start of the 2021 season.
Why extend Maddox?
Avonte Maddox, 25, has had an up-and-down tenure with the Eagles but has flashed his potential at times. He started at both nickel cornerback and safety as a rookie and impressed, but he struggled at times when the team moved him to outside corner. In 2021, he has played primarily in the slot and is playing some of the best football of his young career. Through 10 games, he has 48 tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, 0.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
The Eagles didn’t have many draft picks in 2018, but they have identified four of their five selections as foundation pieces for their future. And with potentially three first-round picks in 2022, Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia front office hope that they can retool a flawed and aging roster with an influx of young talent to build a competitor for the next several years.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his Eagles news archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
Image Caption: Philadelphia Eagles free safety Avonte Maddox (29) during the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles on October 14, 2021 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire)
