Geoff Mosher:
If your notebook never left the back pocket and your recorder stayed off, you could heard the gripes and complaints from some prominent, homegrown players who felt that the Eagles were more financially friendly to outsiders than their own.
It didn’t go over well years ago when millions were splurged on free agents such as Darren Howard, Stacy Andrews and Chris Clemons – guys whose performances never matched their paychecks – while Eagles-drafted players worked under modest long-term deals that paid out generous bonus money up front but looked outdated one or two years later when the market changed.
Without directly admitting it, the Eagles took a giant step toward diffusing what could have been an explosive locker room situation this season by extending the contracts of Todd Herremans, Trent Cole and DeSean Jackson on the first few days of free agency and then bringing back Evan Mathis.
The truth is that last year with Jackson and Asante Samuel, the Eagles already had an “explosive locker room situation” on their hands. This reversal (return?) is by far the biggest storyline of the offseason so far.