The NFL league year begins on Wednesday. It is probably the single most important date on the calendar, and not just because everyone must be cap compliant by noon. There are also option bonuses and salary guarentees that get triggered. This means people are trying to handle all their team business before it’s too late. It has already started with the DJ Moore trade to the Bills and several releases, but there will be a blizzard of moves starting probably before you even read this. Let’s talk about how everything will affect the Eagles.
AJ Brown
I am vehemently against trading AJ Brown for all kinds of reasons, but I suppose it is good to be prepared. If he is traded before June 1, he comes with a $43m dead cap hit which is $20m more than right now. The Eagles are only around $20m under the cap which means money is TIGHT. There are ways for the team to get more money to spend, but it would mean other deals need to happen. For example:
- Jordan Davis and/or Dallas Goedert could be extended. Unless they have deals in the works already, this would give their agents some real leverage in squeezing some extra dollars on the backend.
- Someone gets traded. The problem with this is that no one on the Eagles makes a high base salary meaning any cap relief from a trade would be minimal even for guys like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
- This would also completely change the Eagles draft strategy. All of a sudden WR jumps to the top of the draft need list, moving RT and EDGE aside. DeVonta Smith would be the only NFL caliber receiver on the roster.
- A Brown trade would not NEED to happen this weekend. In fact, if one were to go down, a deal after June 1 makes a lot of sense especially if it happens with his top suitor, the New England Patriots. Why? Well, not only would it mean breaking that enormous cap hit in two, but the Pats have the 31st pick in the draft. If he is traded after the Draft, any picks coming in would be in 2027 where the Pats will more than likely have a pick with more value to the Eagles. Of course, this would also mean the Eagles miss out on the chance to replace him.
Maxx Crosby
The asking price is apparently two 1st round picks. I don’t really get it. This is not Myles Garrett we are talking about here. Crosby will be 29, already has a big contract, and is coming off Pro Bowl level season, not All-Pro seasons. Well, let’s say the Eagles take the plunge and bring in Crosby, then what happens?
- Bringing in Crosby means taking in his $30m base contract. That can be immediately restructured, but it means a deal would have to be done by Wednesday if it is going to be with the Eagles. Once it is restructured, the cap hit comes down to $7m. Of course, if the Raiders wanted to get crazy, they could restructure it themselves and get a lot more bang for their buck.
- With Crosby in the fold it means our EDGE rushers are Crosby, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt. Entering his 4th season, Smith is eligible for a contract extension. While hopes were up that he would ascend to being an elite pass rusher by now, for various reasons it hasn’t happened. He would not need to be moved, but the Eagles will certainly think about trading him before paying him. With the possible loss of multiple first round picks, the Eagles would like to reload.
- This would also mean a Tanner McKee trade is more likely. If we need draft picks, McKee is one waiting to happen.
- Rumor is that the Eagles are possibly looking to move Jalen Carter to get Crosby. I think that’s bullshit. The worry is that Jalen Carter becomes Albert Haynesworth, but it is much more likely that Carter gets extended rather than traded. If he does get moved though, it would probably mean that the Eagles are now in the DT market. They have Moro Ojomo and Jordan Davis, but neither are every down DTs in the Carter or Fletcher Cox before him mold. The Eagles have had an elite DT for a long time and are not about to lose that.
- As much as people want to speculate, bringing in Crosby probably does not affect the ability to give Jalen Carter a big contract. One year ago, the team knew that it would likely have 4 big defensive contracts on their hands in the coming years and Carter was one of them. Crosby would just take the place of Nolan Smith in that department.
Jaelan Phillips
A current player hitting free agency makes resigning him that much tougher. With more suitors, the price goes up. It also screws up the budget because you cannot effectively plan other moves. Phillips is a big part of all of this…
- Currently the Eagles only have Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as starting caliber EDGE rushers. They need one more and Phillips filled that roll last year. If he does not resign, we need another pass rusher, plain and simple.
- This would mean possibly dipping into free agency ourselves. Unfortunately, Phillips is the best on the market that is pretty disappointing. Trey Hendrickson has lost his luster and is old. Odafe Oweh might be Bryce Huff. Boye MAfe lost his starting job. K’Lavon Chaisson probably isn’t leaving New England. Unless we get Crosby, we might be screwed.
- Considering the options, the draft might be the best place to get pass rush help. That would also mean that EDGE jumps to the top of the list and might make the Eagles get a little desperate and trade up to get their guy instead of letting the draft fall to them as it has the last few years.
Our Other Free Agents
- Reed Blankenship: Reed is going to hit the market. If he leaves, there is a pretty obvious hole at safety. We will have Andrew Mukuba and…Sydney Brown??? Please, God, no! Of course, there is a chance that Reed does not get the offers he likes at the beginning of free agency, making his price obviously comes down. The longer he stays on the market, the more likely it is that he comes back
- Nakobe Dean: Odds are the Dean leaves. With Zack Baun as our best LB and Jihaad Campbell being both cheap and good, Dean is likely leaving. However, if Dean were to return it means Zack Baun will probably be on the move. This would be a bet on culture and youth over top end talent (not that Dean is a slouch by any means).
- Dallas Goedert: There are two reasons for Goedert to stay: his cap hit and a dearth of tight ends. If he stays, his $20m cap hit will be reduced. If he leaves, the Eagles will have ZERO tight ends on the roster. We were probably going to draft someone anyway, but now it would be a priority. We would also be active in the tight end trade market with Michael Mayer of the Raiders and Cole Kmet of the Bears blipping on the radar. Money would be tight to add someone via free agency.
It is going to be a busy weekend.
Philly Front Office 
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