Jihaad Campbell signs rookie contract with Eagles
Campbell, who was selected with the 31st overall pick in the NFL draft, has a four-year deal worth about $14.9 million.
Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell signed his rookie contract Wednesday, a deal that will secure the first-round pick for at least the next four seasons.
The former Alabama star’s contract will be worth roughly $14.9 million in the first four years of the deal, according to online database Over the Cap. As is the case with all first-round picks, the Eagles will also have a fifth-year option for Campbell, the 31st overall pick.
The signing leaves second-round safety Andrew Mukuba as the lone Eagles draft pick still waiting to finalize his rookie deal. Rookie contracts have predetermined salaries based on a player’s draft position.
Campbell’s signing comes after he seemingly made slight progress on the field during the Eagles’ one-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. The 21-year-old spent most of the organized team activities that preceded the practice in the last few weeks sidelined following March surgery for a torn labrum in his shoulder suffered during his final season at Alabama, but he went through the early portion of the practice Tuesday with a helmet on.
While he may eventually offer the Eagles some positional versatility because of his background both rushing the passer and playing as a traditional off-ball linebacker, he has spent most of his time around the inside linebackers during the spring.
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Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said last week that Campbell probably would not truly return from the injury until “sometime in August,” and explained the plan to start him with the off-ball linebackers because it’s a more complex position.
“Right now he’s working at ILB because there’s a lot more to learn there,” Fangio said. “So that’s where we’ll start him, but he won’t hit the practice field until sometime in August.
“He’s doing all he can in meetings, we’re doing all we can with him on the field. I take him to the side and do an individual drill with him that’s suited to what he can do right now. So he’s working good and trying to pick it up.”
Jeffrey Lurie has owned the Philadelphia Eagles, which he purchased in 1994, longer than his son, Julian, has been alive. But in recent years, the younger Lurie, heir to the franchise and now 31, has assumed a more pervasive and influential role in the organization. While the Eagles have made no secret about Julian’s increased involvement with the team, specifics about his role have been scant. In recent months, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane spoke to nearly two dozen sources on and off the record to gain a better understanding of not just who Julian Lurie is and what he does, but - most important of all - whether he’ll be ready to assume the reins as Eagles Chairman and CEO, whenever the time comes. Jeff shares the biggest takeaways from his reporting with Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski in this companion episode to Jeff’s feature article about the Eagles' succession plan. Listen here.
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