With Jeffery deal, Eagles ensure long-term nucleus will remain one of NFL's best

When the Philadelphia Eaglesre-signed wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to a four-year, $52 million extension a day before their Week 13 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, they didn't just secure one of Carson Wentz's new toys.

They also solidified that Philadelphia, a year after finishing 7-9 and less than two whole seasons since the franchise underwent a complete regime change, owns possibly the NFL's most dangerous nucleus moving forward.

None of the team's core would be nearly as important, of course, without Wentz himself -- the quarterback's meteoric second-year rise has elevated the Eagles on and off the field en route to an inevitable and long-awaited return to the playoffs. But now that No. 11 has proven himself as the face of the franchise, it's even scarier how well, let alone how quickly, Doug Pederson's lineup has been assembled.

As long as he plays even halfway as well as he has in 2017, Wentz will remain the key ingredient for the Eagles, and he's already under contract through 2021 thanks to his rookie deal (which, by the way, figures to be replaced in remarkable fashion when the time comes). And Jeffery, who hasn't dominated the stat sheet but has made for an obvious No. 1 in Philly, is far from the only playmaker locked up by the Birds alongside Wentz. Not even close.

As ESPN's Field Yates noted in the wake of Jeffery's new deal, the following Eagles are under contract with the team for at least four seasons beyond 2017: Wentz, Jeffery, tight end Zach Ertz, center Jason Kelce, right guard Brandon Brooks, right tackle Lane Johnson, defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Tim Jernigan, defensive ends Vinny Curry and Derek Barnett, and safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. Leading pass rusher Brandon Graham is also locked up through 2018, as are left tackle Jason Peters and wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

If that's not a core, then what is?

Between Wentz, Jeffery, Ertz, Kelce, Brooks and Johnson, you've already got at least four Pro Bowl-caliber starters -- maybe five -- to go along with a running back in Jay Ajayi whose deal runs through 2018 after coming over from the Miami Dolphins. There's an argument to be made that Johnson is the best right tackle in the game, and Ertz's All-Pro run has confirmed he's among the NFL's top pass-catching tight ends. How better to accelerate your all-star quarterback's growth than to ensure he's playing with guys of this caliber for at least the next half-decade?

And on the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's league-leading run defenders aren't going anywhere anytime soon with Cox, Jernigan and Barnett secured for the long haul. At the back end of the secondary, Jenkins and McLeod, remember, make up the steadiest Eagles safety duo since the days of Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis, and even amid waves of severe injuries, the unit has ranked among the game's best in 2017 across the board. Consider that Schwartz's pick-happy defensive backfield is also led by second- or third-year cornerbacks like Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby, and there's just as much, if not more, future potential on defense.

It's a testament to the salary-cap prowess of Eagles personnel men Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas as much as it is a promising sign of what could be in store for a team that hasn't made repeat postseason trips since the Andy Reid era. Even if a couple of big names find themselves among 2018 cap casualties, in fact, there's no denying that Philadelphia has built quite the supporting cast around Wentz -- and that Jeffery's extension is merely the latest in a growing list of examples of the team's long-term promise.

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