Philadelphia Eagles sign Jason Kelce and Riley Cooper to extensions

The Philadelphia Eagles were the early entrees for NFL headlines on Thursday, announcing contract extensions for center Jason Kelce and wide receiver Riley Cooper.

For Eagles C Jason Kelce, it’s a 6-year extension worth $37.5M. $13M guaranteed, $6.25M average. Total value: $40.1M. Top 5 center

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2014

Eagles reached agreement with WR Riley Cooper on a five-year, $25 million deal, per a league source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2014

Kelce, an Ohio native that played college ball at Cincinnati, is the first player selected in the 2011 NFL draft that signed an extension, as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that prevented players to extend their rookie contracts until after their third season. It's the same boat that A.J. Green and Andy Dalton are currently in; both of whom are expected to hold talks during the offseason.

"The extension will be keep Kelce under contract in Philadelphia until at least 2020. This is a big signing for the Eagles as Kelce is seen as one of the most vital members of Chip Kelly's offensive," writes Mike Kaye with SB Naiton's Bleeding Green Nation. "Just 26, Kelce has a long career ahead of him and the Eagles front office clearly wanted it be in Philadelphia."

The deal that Kelce signed is the third highest deal for a center, following New York's Nick Mangold ($54.1 million) and Carolina's Ryan Kalil ($49.1 million).

For comparisons sake, Bengals center Kyle Cook signed a four-year deal prior to the 2012 season worth $14 million with over $5 million guaranteed -- which expires after the 2015 season. Another comparison? Kelce ranked as the league's top center (+18.9 grade) according to Pro Football Focus -- Cook ranked No. 24 at -4.8.