The Philadelphia Eagles are nearing a contract extension for DT Fletcher Cox, according to NJ.com. The report states that it wouldn't be a surprise to see the average annual cap hit for Cox to hit $15 million. So we're probably talking about a pretty big contract.
Will Cox's coming deal a good comparison for the Chiefs and Dontari Poe? They play different positions but Poe and Cox were both 2012 first round picks; Poe the 11th overall pick and Cox the 12th overall pick. On paper it seems like it would be a decent comparison. However, cap expert and former agent Joel Corry of CBS Sports says it's not an ideal one.
@ArrowheadPride Dontari Poe will think so but a Fletcher Cox deal will be more relevant to Muhammad Wilkerson's situation.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) February 9, 2016
I was hoping this would be a better comparison but also glad it isn't because, holy shit, that's a lot of money. Honestly, I have no idea what a good comp for Poe is but the Chiefs have plenty of time with Poe, who is 25 years old. The Chiefs control his rights through the 2016 season via their fifth year option exercised on his rookie contract. That will pay him roughly $6.1 million next season. The franchise tag for defensive tackles in 2015 was approximately $11.2 million so we can expect that to rise a little bit in 2017, which puts us at two years and $18-20 million for Poe. For me, that's where the negotiations start because that's what the Chiefs can control.
Poe has a ton of experience for a fourth-year pro. The Chiefs have seen plenty from him to know who he is. He is a rare player because he plays so many snaps. Look to the money someone is giving Jaye Howard this offseason as an example of how valuable defensive linemen can be.
On the flip side, Poe has played a ton of snaps. How many good ones does he have left? He had back surgery before his 24th birthday. He's proven he's a freak with the way he returned but it's certainly another factor to consider for a guy who goes roughly 350 pounds.
The short-term outlook is that the Chiefs control his rights pretty easily for a couple of years and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.