Eagles agree to 5-year deal with defensive end Vinny Curry

The defensive end has signed to a five-year, $47.25 million contract with the Eagles that includes $23 million guaranteed, a source apprised of the deal told NFL Media’s Albert Breer.

Money doesn’t grow on trees for the Eagles.

His curiosity was more specific than most fans, though.

While Curry conceded he wasn’t sure he’d be back with the Birds unless the coaching staff changed, he likes what he’s seen of the new scheme. I ran into my buddy and former teammate at USC, 49ers Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott yesterday morning at the hotel, just 30 minutes after I got here. “That’s just what it is”.

They probably wished they could have done that previous year with defensive end Vinny Curry. Taking into account the amount of money Curry will be making with this new contract, it’s hard to imagine he won’t play a major role in the Eagles’ defense moving forward. Before the 2012 NFL Draft, Curry did not allow any cameras in his house because he didn’t want to take down all of his Eagles gear. After Kelly arrived, there was a dramatic schematic change, and Curry was not an ideal fit. Originally a pass rusher, his recent struggles must be attributed to the fact that he saw himself getting transitioned to outside linebacker. Graham played 71 percent of the snaps last season, twice as much as Curry. He was not viewed as a three-down lineman.

“We obviously want Fletcher Cox here”, said Roseman. “The first year, I didn’t hear that at all”. But the most important thing for us was to show that that we will invest in our own players. “I want to be here for my entire career and that’s one of the main reasons”. But they are trying to sign him to a long-term extension a year before he’s eligible for free agency.

Curry, on the other hand, has been the subject of trade rumors annually.

“Obviously, there’s a limitation to how much you can do, in the totality of it, but we still have room and we still have flexibility”, he said. Howie Roseman, the team’s executive vice president of football operations, called it an “easy decision” to keep Curry. So you’ve got a known commodity here. But Vinny had nine sacks [in 2014]…three were taken away by penalties.

“I think it’s a conversation of how do you let that guy go?” He bleeds green. He’s got tremendous potential. He will be able to come off the corner on the right side most of the time and put pressure on the quarterback. His playing time on the field was also reduced.