The new Fletcher Cox contract sets up Donald's coming contract

I have found that teams typically spend about 50% of their cap on their top 8-9 (sometimes 10) players. Top players get 6 M or more.

In 2016, the Eagles have only 5 players who meet that definition. Their top contracts take up around 28.4% of the cap.

How do they do that? They are the opposite of the Rams—they heavily, heavily backload.

For example McL gets only 2.6 M in 2016 but then gets 9 and 10 M in 2019 and 2020. They save some if they cut him in 2018 and more if the cut him in 2019. Even then, in 2019, he represents 3+ M in dead money.

Then in 2017 they have 13 players in the “top contracts” level and assuming a 163 M cap for next year, those 13 contracts take up around 73.2% of their 2017 cap. Plus they have 6 players who together represent 14,2 M in dead money on the 2017 cap. Most of the Eagles Big 13 Contracts for 2017 come with substantial dead money hits if they are cut or traded.

In contrast, the Rams have 8 Big Contracts for 2017, which take up 46% of the 2017 cap. And 1 of those is Foles, who represents 12.2+ M in savings if cut or traded before 2017. Without Foles the percentage goes down to 38.5% and the “big contract” players go down to 7, with room left for 1-3 more to get to the normative 8, 9, ir 10. PLus as of right now the Rams have NO dead money currently counting against the 2017 cap.

Unlike the Eagles, the Rams are saving future cap space for a player or 2, obviously Donald being 1 of them.

So the Eagles appear to be the opposite of the Rams. They mortgage the future to buy things now. Rams leave space open in the future.