Despite trade rumors, Moro Ojomo open to re-signing with Eagles: ‘I love playing for this city’
Ojomo, a draft success story as a former seventh-round pick, likely will be too expensive for the Eagles, who have already handed out big extensions to fellow DTs Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, Moro Ojomo isn’t quite sure what the future holds. According to him, that’s what general manager Howie Roseman and the rest of the Eagles front office “get paid the big bucks” to sort out.
It’s a season of uncertainty for Ojomo, whose rookie contract expires at the end of the season. The one thing the 25-year-old defensive tackle is sure of: He loves playing in Philadelphia.
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“Howie and [Jeffrey] Lurie mean so much to me for giving me this opportunity,” Ojomo said Friday. “I was the 23rd DT picked up. If we can make it work, I love playing for this city, I love working hard for this city. I want to produce results for this city. I hate being 2-5 like we are.”
The chances of Ojomo re-signing with the Eagles shrank last offseason when the team handed defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis lucrative long-term extensions. Carter’s four-year extension worth up to $160 million makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.
The Eagles likely won’t have enough salary cap space to re-sign Ojomo as they still have to pay elite cornerback Quinyon Mitchell as well as other key contributors like Cooper DeJean.
Despite this, Ojomo seems to think the front office could work it out.
“I mean, I don’t think any door is shut,” he said.
If he leaves, Ojomo is likely to sign an offseason contract that could land the Eagles a third-round compensatory pick. Because of that, the Eagles should hold off on any trade that’s not equal to (or more) than that value.
Ojomo, who has six solo tackles this season, has been one of the top names in the rumor mill lately. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer cooled these talks Friday when he reported that the Eagles “have gotten calls” on Ojomo, but that Roseman has told teams he’s not available. Breer added that the Eagles have “at least given off the vibe that it’ll try to re-sign him, despite having Carter and Davis already on big deals.”
What does Ojomo think of this trade chatter?
“I don’t know man; I just work here,” Ojomo said. “Those guys make the big bucks and big decisions.”
