NFC Notes: Jonathan Gannon, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

Cowboys

• Cowboys RT Terence Steele signed a five-year extension with a base value of $82.5 million. The deal includes a $15 million signing bonus and base salaries of $7.25 million, $13.25 million, $13.25 million, $16.25 million, and $16.75 million in the new years of the deal. (Over The Cap)
• Steele’s 2024 salary is guaranteed at signing and his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed at the start of the 2025 league year. Another $12.46 million of his 2026 salary is guaranteed for injury. (Todd Archer)
• The contract also includes up to $750,000 annually in per-game roster bonuses and an additional void year in 2028. Steele can make an additional $1.25 million in performance-related base salary escalators in the final four years of the deal. 

Eagles

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon isn’t as popular a man in Philadelphia as you’d expect for someone who was the defensive coordinator for two straight top-10 units, including last year’s ferocious squad. A big chunk of the Eagles fanbase blames Gannon for the team’s Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, specifically two plays where Kansas City used motion to outfox Philadelphia’s defense for touchdowns. 

Gannon made it clear that he disagrees with the notion that he lost the game for the Eagles, saying that on the first play they had defended it successfully all season. 

“The second one is on the call, truthfully,” Gannon said via the Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “That’s a tough pass. Like, if I was the (defensive backs) coach, we probably would’ve busted that, too. That’s how I always kinda think, you know? If I was coaching it, would we be OK? Probably not.”

Gannon was also feeling in a talkative mood and discussed HC Nick Sirianni‘s decision to give up offensive play-calling in 2021 after seven games. He said Sirianni came into a meeting one day frustrated over feeling like he couldn’t balance his duties as a head coach and play-caller, so Gannon suggested he give the play-calling to OC Shane Steichen. 

“Well, they’re gonna look at me like I’m a failure,” Gannon remembers Sirianni saying. 

“Who gives a f—?” Gannon says he replied. “We’re gonna get fired if we’re 3-14.”

Gannon added that he learned a lot from Sirianni and how he handled his first two years as a head coach. 

“Truthfully, Nick was way better as a head coach than I thought he’d be,” he said. “The detail that Nick demands is f—ing nauseating. But I actually needed that in my game. He held my nuts to the fire, where nobody I ever worked for did that.”

Giants

Giants RT Evan Neal is excited to get redemption against the Cowboys after giving up three sacks last year against them.

“Right out the jump it’s a divisional opponent, so that’s always good,” Neal said, via PFT. “I’m excited to get another shot at those guys. I feel like I showed how far I came in a bunch of other games last year — not just DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. That just so happened to be my roughest game last year, but I’m just going to focus on executing the game plan and helping my team win.”