Eagles' Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce still on Philly's payroll

Former Eagles Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce are gone but not forgotten. Not by the fans or a front office that still has to fit them under the 2024 salary cap.

Cox and Kelce may be retired, but there is no special dispensation for retired players on NFL payrolls. For all intents and purposes, both players have been released by Philadelphia, with each leaving a substantial sum of money on the books.

Kelce made $81.7M in 13 years playing center for the Eagles, the third-most at his position in NFL history. Thanks to prorated bonus clauses throughout his career, he still carries $25M in dead money in 2024. 

Technically, Kelce won’t come off the books until 2029 but if they file his paperwork after June 1, he’ll count $8.6M against the salary cap next season and $7.2M in 2025, giving the team an additional $10.6M in cap space over the next two years.

The team is in the same situation with Cox, although the numbers are far more manageable for the former defensive tackle. Cox played 12 seasons after arriving in Philadelphia as the 12th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, earning $125.8M in his career.

Fortunately for the Eagles, Cox is owed less money than Kelce. Cox carries $14M in dead money in 2024 and won’t come off the books until 2027, but once again, if they treat him as a post-June 1 cut, his number drops to $4.2M in each of the next three seasons and just $1.7M in the final year.

That still sounds like a lot of money but keep in mind that the NFL just raised its cap by 13.6%, from $224.8 million per team in 2023 to $255.4 in 2024. Even with Cox and Kelce’s retirements, Philadelphia found a way to add running back Saquon Barkley on a $37.75M contract ($26M guaranteed) before handing linebacker Bryce Huff a three-year, $51.1M deal ($34M guaranteed.)

Dead money can be tricky but it appears Cox and Kelce aren’t preventing Eagles general manager Howie Roseman from making moves in 2024.