Vinny Curry: ‘Fletcher [Cox] Is Gonna Be Here’
Vinny Curry grew up in Neptune, N.J. with Eagles jerseys and pictures along the walls of his home. He wanted to be like Ricky Watters, so when he started playing football at 8-years-old, he played running back.
Soon after, he switched to defense. The position change proved to be a wise move, as 19 years later, he’s now under contract with the Eagles for five more years to remain on the defensive line.
“I really can’t see myself playing for nowhere else,” Curry said on Wednesday. “At the end of the day, I bleed green. That’s just what it is.”
Curry signed a five-year deal on Tuesday worth $47.25 million, with $23 million guaranteed. The defensive end confirmed that he wouldn’t have re-signed if the Eagles didn’t change their scheme from a 3-4 to a 4-3. He followed the team’s coaching search closely to get an idea of what defense the Eagles would run, and described his interactions with new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz as “amazing.”
He also won’t have to deal with trade rumors for the first time in years.
“I won’t get a text message from my nephews, my little cousins saying, ‘Hey, how come you’re always on the trading block on Madden?’” Curry said. “I had no answer for them!”
Under Billy Davis, Curry never played more than 35 percent of the defense’s snaps. Still, while playing just 32 percent of the snaps in 2014, he ranked in the top-20 in the NFL in sacks. Curry admitted that his lack of playing time weighed on him “a lot.”
He added that he talks to Fletcher Cox every day, who had a “big influence” on his decision to remain in Philadelphia. Curry expressed confidence that Cox will get a contract extension.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll get that done,” Curry said. “Fletcher is gonna be here no matter what.”
Howie Roseman explained to the media after Curry’s press conference why the Eagles wanted him back, citing his pass-rushing skills.
“The coaches want to make sure that they have a bunch of pass-rushers; fastballs, as we’re used to saying with Jim [Johnson], and now again with Jim [Schwartz],” Roseman said. “So to be able to have a bunch of guys who can get pressure on the quarterback, who are versatile — who can rush inside and out — it’s important. Then again, in this time of year to be able to keep a guy from free agency when we understand that the market is going to be aggressive, it’s just a testament to his want to be here in Philadelphia.”