Eagles lock up Maddox on 3-year contract extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It’s been a lucrative couple days for the Dallas Goedert/Avonte Maddox household.
One day after Goedert got a massive contract extension from the Eagles, Maddox — his roommate and close friend — got an extension of his own.
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Maddox, who has come into his own as a slot corner this year, agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $22.5 million in new money with $13.3 million guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning.
The deal adds three years to Maddox’s current contract year and runs through 2024.
“We put a lot on his plate,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said recently. “And he has a lot to process and think about. And we put him in that spot as a slot nickel corner. He wears a lot of hats. He's in the run game, he's covering man to man. He's in zone. He makes a lot of adjustments. He’s doing an excellent job. I love having him.”
The Eagles drafted five players in 2018, and four of them — Goedert, Maddox, Josh Sweat and Jordan Mailata — have signed contract extensions since September. The fifth player they drafted in 2018 was Matt Pryor, who’s now with the Colts.
Maddox, who would have become a free agent at the end of the year, was playing on his four-year rookie contract, which was worth $3.09 million when he signed it although he triggered a playing-time escalator last year that bumped his 2021 base salary from $750,010 to $2.183 million.
The move means the Eagles’ two best defensive backs will return in 2022. Darius Slay is signed through 2023.
Rodney McLeod, Anthony Harris and Steve Nelson are all due to become free agents after the season, so locking up Maddox through 2024 is huge for a secondary that is likely going to need several new pieces next year.
Maddox, a 4th-round pick out of Pitt, has started 25 games in his four-year career but after a disappointing season when he was forced to play outside corner in 2020 he’s given the Eagles smart, physical, productive play in the slot this fall.
Maddox has three interceptions, 21 pass defenses, two forced fumbles and 2.0 sacks in 45 career games. Although he’s only started two games this year, he’s averaging 43 snaps per game.
“I just think he's scrappy and tough,” Nick Sirianni said recently. “That's such a requirement for the good slot nickels I've been around. They're scrappy. They're tough. That's definitely Avonte. And then you always have to have good quickness in there because you go against different guys that are quick. You've got that short area quickness. So, I definitely see that in him.
“I’m glad he's our slot corner because he does a really good job at it. I see him getting better all the time. That toughness is just something that you've got to have on your team, and he definitely embodies that at that position.”
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