Soon, we’ll know where the career of defensive end Jason Babin will continue.
By 4:00 p.m. ET, any team that wants to claim the balance of his contract (it runs through 2015) must submit a waivers claim. The NFL then will assign Babin to the team with the highest priority.
Per a league source, the Eagles fielded multiple calls from potentially interested teams. Philly benefits if someone claims him; if Babin goes unclaimed, he can recover the balance of his base salary from the Eagles.
He’s due $1.69 over the final five weeks of the season.
If he’s not claimed, Babin will become an unrestricted free agent. Our guess is that someone will claim him. It’s a low-risk and possibly high-reward move for a player who had 18 sacks in 2011.
UPDATE 4:15 p.m. ET: Per multiple reports, Babin has been claimed. A league source explains that, even if he hadn’t been claimed, the Eagles wouldn’t have owed the balance of his contract for 2012 because Babin already has received termination pay. Under the CBA, a player can elect the balance of his salary as termination pay only once in his career.