On how it feels to have a new contract: "It feels great. (Eagles president) Joe (Banner) worked really hard with my agent, Todd France. They were able to get it done."

On whether having peace of mind will make him a better player: "It definitely does. It gives you that peace of mind and like you said, that happiness, that confidence that the team has confidence in you. I can go out there and do my job."

On being optimistic throughout the whole process: "(The relationship between Todd and the Eagles) worked out very well. They were able to get things done. I didn't want to be negative about it; I just wanted to continue to be sure that those guys would try to get those things done and be able to do a great job."

On whether he will be an Eagle for the rest of his career: "Yes."

On having grass stains despite not playing: "I was doing a great job of trying to stay clean. My guys, my offensive line, came over and showered me with some grass."

On how important it was to get the deal done: "It was very important. I wanted to try to get this thing behind me so I could focus more on the season. I'm glad that Joe worked with my agent very well and they were able to get things accomplished."

On how excited he is to start a new season now: "I was excited about the season even before the new contract. This has given that extra measure of knowing that I'm going to be taken care of here. I'm excited about this team. We have a lot of potential and a lot of that has shown already tonight."