Eagles’ Brandon Brooks on contract extension: ‘I don’t want to play anywhere else, I love the city, love the fans’

Brandon Brooks has been given a new nickname.

Fresh off inking a new four-year, $56.2 million contract extension, Fletcher Cox titled him “Moneybag Brooks”.

“He got paid,” Fletcher Cox said after Wednesday’s practice. “Moneybag Brooks, that’s his new name ... he’s got the Brinks truck somewhere.”

The 30-year-old’s new deal has $30 million guaranteed, according to Brooks’ representative, Athletes First. It will last through 2024. His average salary in new money comes out to $14.05M per year, which makes him the highest-paid offensive guard in the NFL, slightly ahead of the Dallas Cowboys’ Zach Martin.

Brooks originally signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Eagles in 2016, leaving the Houston Texans, and is now one of the best interior linemen in the NFL. The two-time Pro Bowler is currently ranked as the best guard in the league by Pro Football Focus.

Brooks gave credit to Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland for his development as an Eagle.

“I know I’m in a good situation here,” Brooks said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else, I love the city, love the fans, love the coaches.

“I wouldn’t be where I’m at or being able to sign an extension without Stout and Doug," Brooks added. “Really helping me elevate my game. Especially Stout, since Day 1, some of the things he’s done and showed me. I don’t want to say I knew it all but there was so much more I had to learn.”

He overcame an anxiety disorder that forced him to miss time in his first season when he would have stomach issues in the hours leading into a game.

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Brooks said he still has to fight through anxiety, but it’s become more manageable since he got help from the Eagles medical staff.

“When the anxiety stuff happened, it was like, ‘Now that I know what it is, I can figure it out,’” Brooks said. “There wasn’t a moment in my mind where it was like ‘Can I overcome this?’ ... The end goal is to always come through it. Once I figure out what it is, I can attack it."

After tearing his Achilles against the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 13, Brooks was able to recover from the injury in nine months and make it back on the field for the Eagles’ season opener against Washington on Sept. 8.

“Being on the field Week 1 meant the most to me,” Brooks said. “When I got hurt, obviously it’s an Achilles, it’s a pretty serious injury. There was a lot being said as far as when I would be back, if I would be back, if I’d be the same player. Being able to come back, being a better player than I was before I was hurt probably was the biggest thing for me.”

Cox, who suffered a foot injury in the same game, had surgery in the offseason and spent his training camp recovering, just like Brooks. The All-Pro defensive tackle said he spent time recovering alongside Brooks, and the two even practiced together before they were cleared for team drills.

“It’s always good to see a guy that I go against every day in practice to get his money,” Cox said. “We was here all offseason and all he talked about was getting back. ... Even on the side, we were together, probably when we shouldn’t have been working together. All that stuff pays off.”