Eagles Jordan Davis Not Done "Scratching, Clawing" After Massive Extension

PHILADELPHIA - Jordan Davis was one of the NFL’s best defensive tackles this season, though he didn’t make All-Pro or even the Pro Bowl. His reward came on Saturday, when he agreed to a massive contract extension that will make him the highest-paid nose tackle in the league.

“I always wanted to be the best player I can be for the team,” he said in mid-January, two days after the Eagles season ended in the wildcard round of the playoffs. “Whatever happens after that, happens. I’m not doing this for just selfish reasons. I’m doing this because I want to be the best player I can be for the team. I love this team. I love this program. They gave me an opportunity.”

Davis’s breakthrough season earned him a three-year contract extension for potentially $76 million, with $65 million guaranteed. He will play this season on the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him close to $13 million. His average annual salary will jump to $26 million per year after that. A league source confirmed the deal first reported by ESPN and NFL Media.

The extension will probably lower his salary-cap hit this season, too, which will help the Eagles heading into this week’s start of free agency. The move was a big first strike for general manager Howie Roseman, and one that makes a lot of sense for the team and Davis, who was all in this season after losing about 30 pounds to get to a lean (for him, anyway, at 6-6) and mean 330.

“It felt like it was my duty to be the best player I can be,” he said. “I’m still focusing on growth. This is not the best that I’ve been. This is not the best that I can be. I’m always scratching, I’m always clawing for the ceiling…I just want to reach that.”

A Season Of Growth For Jordan Davis

Drafted 13th overall in 2022, when the Eagles traded up two spots to get ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, Davis just turned 26 in January. The extension will keep him in Philadelphia until he’s 30. The Eagles are paying him not only based on his breakthrough fourth season, but betting that he has only scratched the surface of his ability. Last year, he set career highs in everything:

72: tackles

34: solo tackles

22: QB pressures

9: tackles for loss

6: QB hits

6: passes defended

4.5: sacks

Davis’s value goes beyond the playing field. He has stepped up as a leader on a young defensive line and his fun-loving presence in the locker room helps keep the mood light.

“It was a season of growth, that’s the biggest thing that I can take away from this season,” he said. “As of right now, I haven’t looked at the film. Just a lot of growth. Not even just on the field, but mentality-wise, leadership-wise. All that factors in.”

Davis turned his attention to the potential of a young defense, a defense that will have him in the middle of it until the end of this decade, and his answer reveals the kind of leader he has become.

“Potential is a double-edged sword,” he said. “You can potentially do a lot of things. But if you don’t put your mind to it, if you don’t work at it, you’ll never reach that. While we do have a lot of guys who are young on defense, and hope that this year for the younger guys was a year of experience, getting those games under their belt and understanding what it takes to be a part of this team and be successful at a high clip, the sky’s the limit.”