NFC Notes: Cardinals, Eagles, Panthers & Saints

Cardinals

• Mike Jurecki mentions that the Cardinals would like to work out a long-term deal with impending free agent OLB Chandler Jones.
• However, the “worst-case” scenario for Arizona is that they use their franchise tag on Jones next year at the cost of around $14 million or so.

Eagles

• According to Tim McManus, the biggest decision for the Eagles next year will be whether or not to keep DT Bennie Logan, who could command around $10 million per year in a long-term deal. Eagles executive Howie Roseman said recently that they “would love to keep Bennie around” but they’re already paying Fletcher Cox big money, so it could be a lot of money to commit to their defensive line.
• McManus expects the Eagles to aggressively look to upgrade the cornerback position, which leaves CB Nolan Carroll‘s future with the team in doubt, depending of course on their available options.
• McManus can see LB Stephen Tulloch and OL Stefan Wisniewski moving on next year.

Panthers

• David Newton of ESPN writes that Panthers’ impending free agent DE Mario Addison is “in position to be one of Carolina’s top free-agent priorities, if not the top.”
• The Panthers will need to decide whether to use their franchise tag on DT Kawann Short in the coming months, but Newton says the tag won’t be an option for Addison, considering what it would cost to use the designation on him.
• Addison could end up being a popular free agent target if the Panthers can’t get a long-term in place with him and prevent other teams from submitting overs to Addison once free agency is underway.

Saints

Saints HC Sean Payton indicated during an appearance on WWL radio that impending free agent DT Nick Fairley is someone they’re interested in re-signing next year.

“We’ll have a chance when the season winds down, which is coming up, to begin to look at the free-agent players,” Payton said, via Nick Underhill of the Advocate. “There’s a fit with a lot of our guys, guys we’ve had a vision for. I think he’s someone that enjoys playing here as well.

“I think the fans see his effort and energy. I think he’s someone who has that athleticism that you see on a week in and week out basis. So, he’s definitely going to be a guy that we spend a lot of time discussing and working on and hopefully are able to re-sign.”