The Eagles are only an extreme example bc Howie has obliterated a cap loophole that he's more than willing to mortgage the future for current success, knowing he either won't be here when it implodes or will have to reset it anyone and take the hit during a short rebuild. He's willing to do something in the short-term that other GMs are not....2x the void money of the next team (SF) and 5.5x that of Miami.....and since he drafted so incredibly well, he has the perfect window to do so before it becomes unmanageable.
If the cap didn't have those loopholes, the Eagles would not be having this success because to your point, current salaries, especially for certain positions, would make it impossible to build a team of that nature. Some of their better players would have moved on to other teams for money.
my hope is that the players win out - that's who I generally side with in contract situations. Just give the kids their damned money. The precedent has already been set by the Texans and then the Browns, so whether it happens this year or next, it's only a matter of time before all 2nd round picks get full guarantees. The league is obviously struggling to accept this new paradigm - that's the whole reason for this standoff. But they're going to have to accept it sooner than later.
