The Real Threat To The Eagles Is On The Business Side

PHILADELPHIA - While just about everyone in the NFL world was distracted at the league's annual spring meeting by a play the Eagles will likely use less than 50 times next season, a much more dangerous threat to the Super Bowl champion's recent formula of success may have been foreshadowed by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Goodell explained that the owners had a lengthy discussion about the current salary cap system. Things like how well the system is working, whether teams are operating within its intended spirit, and what changes may be needed in the next round of collective bargaining with the players’ union.

Boiled down, the owners are mulling potential changes to keep the cap fair, competitive, and free of loopholes.

“We did spend time talking, at length, about areas of our Collective Bargaining Agreement that we want to focus on," Goodell said. "The two areas that we spent time on were really the cap system itself, the integrity of that system, how’s it working, where do we need to address that in the context of collective bargaining, when that does happen.

“The second is just the rising cost, the cost of stadiums, the cost to facilities, the cost of operation, the cost of investment, and how dramatically that’s impacting the ownership view”

Nothing is imminent, but with an 18-game schedule looming, significant negotiations are on the horizon with the union, and that’s also an opportunity to get one’s own house in order.

Cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com noted “my gut feeling is [the changes] are about the current level of manipulation that exists with void years. The NFL has always been a reactive league when it comes to rules. Changes often occur when too many teams skirt the rules.”

Had a few questions about Goodell's comments on the cap...my gut feeling is those are about the current level of manipulation that exists with void years.

The nfl has always been a reactive league when it comes to rules. Changes often occur when too many teams skirt the rules
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) May 25, 2025

The Eagles have been at the forefront of a cash-over-cap strategy that utilizes voidable years on the back end of contracts to better manipulate their salary-cap situation in the short term, something that enabled the organization to build the most talented team in football en route to a Super Bowl LIX championship.

Others have followed Philadelphia’s lead and are doing the same thing, particularly Cleveland with former Howie Roseman liuetenants Andrew Berry and Catherine Hickman spearheading the strategy. However, this particular loophole gives owners with cash on hand a large advantage over those who don’t.

And while all NFL owners are rich by conventional standards, the difference between Rob Walton rich and Mike Brown rich is significant.

More than pure wealth, it should be noted that the willingness to use the credit card is a more significant advantage than measuring finances. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is not even in the top 10 when it comes to the richest NFL owners, but he’s been the one willing to consistently approve the idea of dead money down the road.

According to Fitzgerald, eight teams used voidable years in 2013, totaling just over $40 million in future. Fast forward to 2025 and 26 of the 32 NFL teams are using the amassing over $2.2 billion (yes, with a B) in future money.

As Fitzgerald explains, “It's not just teams not using [voidable years]. It's teams feeling forced to use them to make the cap numbers work due to rising costs. I could see a feeling that void years are causing overall contract values to rise.”

If that’s the case, Roseman and salary-cap expert Bryce Johnston should be working on the next loophole.

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