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Philadelphia Eagles: A Nightmare on Pattison Ave.

By Andrew Goldwasser

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Yesterday I took a look at the very best free agency scenario for you, the Philadelphia Eagles. A perfect dream.

But free agency is the great unknown. What could be a dream might just as easily turn nightmare.

Ay, there’s the rub.

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Nay, here’s the rub. Here’s a look at the very worst scenario for the Philadelphia Eagles as free agency unfolds in the coming days.

You start with that same $49,500,000

Jeremy Maclin wants $11 million per season. You are only prepared to offer $9 million. This gap was reported, on Saturday, by Jeff McClain of the Inquirer. The Houston Texans, in need of a wide receiver to replace the outgoing Andre Johnson, want Maclin or Randall Cobb. But Cobb agreed to a deal last night to remain in Green Bay. So the Texans swoop in… Offer Maclin what he wants… And he’s gone.

And, remember, so is Cobb. Feeling the need to replace the production you just lost at receiver, Torrey Smith pops onto the radar.

But he now realizes he’s the top guy left at the position and has all the leverage. He asks for $8 million. It’s too much to pay for Torrey Smith. But it’s a little less than you had allocated for Maclin. And what’s worse: Overpaying for a quality receiver or striking out entirely at the position?

You cave.

$41,500,000 left.

Maybe DeMeco Ryans will help out with recouping some of the money you just over-spent on Smith. You call him up to ask if he’ll consider restructuring. No can do. Ryans insists that the $7 million he’s counting against your cap is just the right price for a leader that your own head coach, Chip Kelly, said he ‘needed.’ He’s the heartbeat of the defense. And he knows that if you didn’t want him back… he’d already be gone. And he’s right. So he’s sticking at $7 million.

No help there.

Still $41,500,000 left.

Sensing that the offense needs a boost, having lost McCoy and Maclin in a matter of days, you turn to the running back pool: DeMarco Murray wants too much money. Mark Ingram, the perfect fit, re-signed with the Saints last night. C.J. Spiller is too often injured to be trusted with the nearly $6 million, annually, that he’s asking.

Coming up empty-handed in an attempt to fill the hole in the roster left by the trading away of your most popular player and your franchise’s all-time leading rusher is simply not an option.

You turn to the services of 32 year-old Frank Gore. For $4 million dollars a year for two years. He’s a lot cheaper than LeSean McCoy. But it’s yet to be seen what’s left in his tank.

$37,500,000 left.

Unable to fill the holes on offense the way you’d hoped to fill them and uncertain about your ability to acquire Marcus Mariota in the draft… the question of quarterback starts to nag at you.

Can you head into the season with just Nick Foles under center? Is he the guy to run Chip Kelly’s offense? And what if he gets hurt again?

Nov 16, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez (3) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It’s imperative that you re-sign Mark Sanchez. Having a reliable backup that knows the system and loves to play under coach Kelly will be an excellent safety net. If Foles leaves in a trade, simply fails to perform, or gets knocked out of the lineup… there’s someone there that has shown he can keep the ship at least somewhat afloat.

‘Sorry coach,’ says Sanchez. ‘I love it here. I do. But the Titans want to bring me in and give me a legitimate shot to compete.’

You can’t lie. You can’t tell him it’s his job to win. So you let him go. And you look elsewhere…

But wait! In the meantime… someone’s made an offer to tendered restricted free agent running back Chris Polk. You chose to tender him at the lowest level so if you refuse to match their offer… he’s gone. With no remuneration.

The offer would pay Polk $2.5 million dollars next year. Almost double what you had expected to pay him.

But LeSean is gone. And your hands are tied. Losing Polk would mean having two running backs (Gore and Sproles) in their 30s. And nothing else. It’s not wise. So you match the offer to Polk. And slowly but surely, the money you saved at the position by trading McCoy is slipping away.

$36,000,000 left.

The defense!

This is the unit that needs the most help. This is where the real money needs to be spent.

It’s time to add cornerback Byron Maxwell. He’s long since been rumored to be your top target. You’ve allotted the necessary money ($11 million or so) to nab him. Here goes.

News hits that last night, the Texans re-signed their free agent corner, Kareem Jackson.

Could the Seahawks do the same?

Jayson Braddock of Sports790 in Houston tweeted last night, that “…Surprisingly, the Seahawks want to make another offer to him (Maxwell…)”

Well, sadly, they do. And, sadly-er, he agrees. To go back to Seattle.

And Jackson’s off the market, too.

And Culliver’s not a fit.

And Cromartie is too old a player around which to build a secondary.

Could Buster Skrine be the best option? Is he even an upgrade over Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams?

It doesn’t matter. There’s no way you can walk away from free agency without having added at least one corner.

So Skrine gets a deal. $3 million gone. And you add the Packers’ Davon House at the same price. The position will have new faces if not better ones.

$30,000,000 left.

Mark Sanchez is still gone, remember. And while it’s hard to imagine a world in which that’s a problem… it is. Matt Barkley has proven that he cannot be counted on as an NFL quarterback. Nick Foles has yet to play a full season. And if you happen to make a blockbuster trade to get Marcus Mariota, you cannot do it without a veteran quarterback on the team to support the rookie.

Sep 29, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) is introduced before a game against the New York Jets at LP Field. The Titans beat the Jets 38-13. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Who?

NJ.com’s Mark Eckel might have the answer: Jake Locker.

And so it goes. $3 million.

$27,000,000 left.

Things are spiraling out of control. This wasn’t the plan.

The big fish must be caught. You began the pre-free agency period by trading away $10 million in the form of LeSean McCoy, letting Trent Cole, Cary Williams, and Todd Herremans walk, and putting yourselves in position to be big-time buyers in the market.

What do you have to show for it? A couple mid-tier corners, an over-the-hill running back, and a… Jake Locker.

Devin McCourty must be had. At any cost. And that cost, for a safety, is astronomical. He asks for $10.5 million per year.

It’s a solid $2 million more than you had hoped to spend. But there are only so many times a team canmiss out on the player they need on grounds of fiscal responsibility.

This is the time to make the move.

Splash.

$16,500,000 left.

At this rate, you’re not filling the holes you need filled the way you needed them filled. It’s beginning to look unlikely that you’ll be in a position to package up the top of your draft in an attempt to land Marcus Mariota: You’re going to need those picks.

So you wisely set aside $5.5 million for draft picks.

$11,000,000 left.

Too little money left to go after a big time pass rusher that’s going to be asking for $7-$8 million: It would leave you with almost no flexibility and set you up for a terrible time in 2016.

So no Worilds. No Orakpo.

You close out the free agency period by agreeing to terms with former Texan Brooks Reed. He fits the mold. He’s shown flashes. And he’s strong against the run. $2.5 million.

$8,500,000 left.

And it’s over. Mercifully.

It didn’t go as you had hoped. The money got spent. But did the team get better?

Famed Scottish poet Robert Burns might not have led an NFL team through free agency in the modern era. But he got the gist when he said:

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.”

Next: Eagles' Dream Free Agency?

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