Now that his second stint with the Eagles has officially come to an end, defensive end Vinny Curry is set to become an unrestricted free agent again this offseason.

Although he has gone through free agency once before, signing a three-year, $27 million free agent deal in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he again has the freedom to cash in somewhere with a team looking for a pass-rusher.

Curry has been through this before, and for him its not about money, or location and he discussed his desire to sign a third contract with Philadelphia.

"This is where home is," Curry said as a guest of The Sports Bash. "You've got the most passionate fans in the world, ya got to love it."

Philadelphia released Curry back in 2018, before $5 million of Curry's $9 million base salary would have been guaranteed, leaving him free to sign with any team in the league. He landed in Tampa with the Buccaneers, where it didn't exactly work out the way he had hoped. 

"Down in Tampa, I had a severely sprained ankle that kept me out like 10 games," Curry recalled.

Slowed by those injuries Curry finished with just 2.5 sacks and after just one season in Tampa, the two sides decided it was best to part ways, leading him back to where he started.

"It became a mutual interest that both parties wanted to move on, but I already knew in my heart where I wanted to play (with the Eagles)."

On March 21st, he landed back with the Eagles, signing a one-year, $2.25 million contract. He played well down , especially down-the-stretch, with four of his five sacks coming after Week 12 this season.

"It was just opportunity," Curry said.  Coach increased my role and I just took full advantage of the opportunity, and I'm thankful for it. Our coaches had a great game-plan for me down-the-stretch."

So will the Eagles show an increased desire to retain him after his 2019 season where he five sacks and 27 tackles?

"You'd like to think in free agency, the Eagles would want me back," Curry stated.  "When free agency starts, I'll be hoping to hear from them."

 

Another element of their decision to consider is the other options on the edge. Brandon Graham will be 32-years-old by the start of next season and Derek Barnett has been very injury prone in his three seasons, missing 13 games over his three years. The team also has 22-year old Josh Sweat, who had four sacks this season and Joe Ostman, who missed all of this season with a torn ACL.

If their interest in Curry is there, they will likely have to be creative to make a deal work. According to OverTheCap.com, Philadelphia have the 17th-most cap space in the NFL with nearly $49 million to spend, but Eagles GM Howie Roseman stressed during Wednesday press conference that the team needs to get younger.

"Going forward we need to infuse youth in this team," Roseman admitted.

Does Curry's desire to return and age fir in with that plan?

Time will tell.

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