Philadelphia defensive end Darryl Tapp can’t say he’s happy that he has taken a total of $2.25 million in pay cuts over the last two seasons. But he is happy to be an Eagle.
Tapp agreed to have his pay slashed from $2.575 million to $825,000 this season a year after agreeing to a $500,000 pay cut last season. But the alternative was the Eagles releasing Tapp, and he says he didn’t want to play anywhere else.
“Yeah, I mean, in the end I wanted to be here,” Tapp told CSNPhilly.com. “It’s definitely not my ideal thing, but I want to be here.”
If Tapp had refused to take a pay cut and the Eagles had released him, there’s a good chance he could have found another team willing to pay him more than $825,000. But Tapp said he wouldn’t have felt good signing with a new team just days before the season starts.
“For somebody to feel comfortable in any scheme -- any person -- you need some time to work and get reps,” he said. “With the season a week away, it ain’t the best time to get reps and try to get up with anybody’s system. . . . I definitely had to think about it. You never want to make a decision in a rushed manner … so you definitely gotta sit back and think of everything. But, like I said, being an Eagle is one of my main priorities, man. I’m happy I’m here.”
And the Eagles are happy to have him for a good price.