If 3-5 doesn’t open any cracks in a team’s foundation, contract squabbles will. And, that’s likely seeping into the offensive side of the Eagles locker room.

LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson are the top cogs in the Eagles explosive offense. DeSean’s contract is up after this season and after being underpaid throughout his rookie contract, the Eagles real human joystick wants to be paid.

McCoy is the NFL’s leading rusher and has a year left on his rookie deal. The kid wants to be paid, too.

Both players were represented by Drew Rosenhaus until a week ago. That’s when Shady ditched Philly’s most hated agent since Scott Boras.

The contract negotiations with DeSean have been moving at a Rodney Peete pace. The Pro Bowl wideout has voiced his desire to get a new deal done; he wants to be paid among the NFL’s top wideouts. The Eagles clearly don’t view him in that regard, or a deal would have been done.

Jackson held out at the start of training camp after seeing money pour into the accounts of Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins and others. The Eagles said they wouldn’t negotiate with a player who wasn’t in camp. Said it was team policy.

There’s one issue with that. The Eagles have made exceptions to that rule in certain cases where special players are involved. See Westbrook, Brian. Had the Eagles truly believed DeSean was their current Westbrook, a deal would have been done. It’s not.

LeSean McCoy may be the guy who gets the big deal, leaving DeSean Jackson out of the mix.

While DeSean has handled himself well, you know he’s seething at a lack of a deal and game-changing plays in which his number is called. That might have boiled over this weekend when DJacc missed a team meeting Saturday and was subsequently deactivated for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

This has Terrell Owens written all over it. Or, should I say Drew Rosenhaus. The agent and player see that the Eagles will not make a budget-busting long-term deal with Jackson. They don;t want the franchise tag used. So, do little things that make the point and piss off team management so that you are allowed to become a free agent. It worked with T.O., John Welbourn, Corey Simon and others.

Make no mistake, DJacc wants to either be paid here or become a free agent and Rosenhaus will help him at all costs.

So, where does McCoy fit in here? He likely is ready to sign a deal and secure his future. Maybe he even wants a below market deal now to protect against injury. The Eagles are notorious for offering security in exchange for top dollar. Agents hate it.

Maybe McCoy had an offer and was ready to pounce while Rosenhaus stalled saying, “I need to get DeSean done first.” Is that enough to piss off a player so much that he fires said agent? It’s reportedly happened twice this offseason.

If that’s true, how do McCoy and Jackson coexist? How does the huddle go when McCoy is getting touches in the running game that used to go to Jackson?

Player can say all they want that the outside stuff doesn’t matter once the game starts. They’re human and we all know this affects them even if it’s subconsciously.

Add this to the fact that the Dream Team is looking at early winter cruises this year, and you have a situation that could really unravel at a rapid pace.