Opening Remarks: "First off, I just want to thank (general manager) Howie (Roseman), (head) coach (Andy) Reid, and (owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie. I had two years left on my deal so I realize this wasn't a necessity. It means a lot for the fact that they came to me and started this whole process. I am really happy with it."
On whether this is the direction that he envisioned his career going: "It doesn't really make a difference whether it is at tackle or guard. I'm pretty open to the idea that if they need me, they may need me at guard and then move over to tackle again. It really doesn't matter. It's kind of been weird my entire career with not ever reaching free agency. The deals have all been taken care of in house, and that's pretty interesting in today's sports world. Being able to spend your whole career in one city, it's pretty special and you don't see that anymore."
On whether he had a feeling that a new deal would get done when he switched positions: "I kind of have been talking to them for a while, just joking back and forth. When they moved me back to tackle, my escalator in my contract did bump up my pay a little bit, but maybe this was just out of good faith. They're happy with what I've been doing here, and I've been working hard. I haven't been complaining about my contract. While I was playing guard, I think I was playing at a high level and felt a little underpaid, but that comes with those early deals that I did after two years and then the five year extension. A lot of people ended up in that kind of situation. You kind of have to warrant it, and they showed a big sign of faith here by doing it two years early when they didn't need to."
On making the transition from left guard to right tackle: "I think that I have a lot of upside at tackle still. I still feel that as the season went on, there are plenty of things that I had to work on. Playing the position, you learn certain things and you're able to work on them. In season, it's tough to work on those things because you have two practices and then you're playing a game again. As far as just being able to know the whole offseason where I'm playing, and the types of techniques that (offensive line coach) Howard (Mudd) has us using and the style of play he expects out of us, it made the transition from guard to tackle a lot easier and it suits my abilities better to play tackle than in the vertical sets that (former offensive line coach) Juan (Castillo) used to teach."
On whether he is relieved to have a new contract with the influx of veteran tackles who have hit free agency: "Yeah. This is why I'm so happy about the Eagles wanting to do this with me. I can't thank them enough. I keep looking on ESPN every day and I keep seeing veteran tackles around the league getting cut from trying to make cap space. There are good players being released, and with the free agent market being so flooded, I just feel really excited that the Eagles are willing to make this move with me."
On whether continuity is the main theme of this offseason with the Eagles: "Yeah, I don't think that the team that we fielded last year was missing anything talent-wise. I don't think our coaching staff was missing anything and I don't think the players on the field were missing anything. I just think it's like the first day of school when you don't know anybody in the class and you just have to figure out who you're going to sit by, who will let you cheat off of them and that kind of stuff. As the season went on, we started coming together a lot more and it showed by us winning our (last four) games. We really feel that we don't need any extra pieces brought to us in free agency. We feel that the team we have in the locker room can make a great run and go the Super Bowl next year. I'm sure that's not how it's going to work and there will be tweaks here and there."
On whether he would like to see G Evan Mathis return to the team: "Yeah, that would be good. He texted me earlier today and congratulated me. I said, 'Thanks, and hopefully we can get you done here soon and back in green.' Who knows how that's going to work out, you know."
On whether he'd consider it a major accomplishment to see the new deal through and retire an Eagle someday: "You think I have only five years left? I think with my newly found high-level of income and advances in modern medicine, I could play another 10-15 years (joking). I think it would be great. We will visit that in five years and who knows what will happen between now and then. I would love to finish my career in Philadelphia. The city has been awesome to me, and I don't get a lot of negativity from anybody really. It's just fun to be here and I really want to be on the team that brings a Super Bowl to Philadelphia."
On whether he thought about being a full-time tackle when he was primarily starting at guard his first five seasons in the league: "And see what, how I would do? I've always been pretty confident about my abilities at tackle. I knew that I was having splashes here and there just filling in. Maybe if I didn't do so well those games that I would have had more doubt that I could do it for the long haul, but I played well those games. I wasn't really worried about it."
On whether protecting QB Michael Vick's blind side added more value into bringing him back as a right tackle: "I'm sure that figured into it, but Michael is all over the place in the pocket so everyone is on his blind side at some point."
On whether his leadership abilities were part of the reason for the new contract: "That was brought up in the talks, and I think that boded well for me. The players seem to like me in the locker room, and I don't get too many dirty looks when I walk around. I think that what they're trying to do – the Eagles have been known for a while as a team that doesn't take care of their draft picks and pays everyone else's as picks and players. I think they're trying to change that stigma that they have. Howie's very concentrated on taking care of their own and wanting players to be Eagles their entire career."
On whether he had moments where he knew he had to grow as a leader: "I went through some things when I was younger, and I think it was kind of getting into the NFL, getting all this money, and not growing up yet. That's just something that's not there anymore, and I think that this is showing that it's heading in the right direction."
