Philly Front Office

And just like that, the Eagles free agents are all gone with Reed Blankenship signing a 3/$24.75m deal with Houston. Considering the length and the value, the Eagles did not seem interested in bringing back Reed regardless of the cost. It’s certainly interesting. Throughout his career, Blankenship had been a pleasant surprise, going from undrafted to staying for a Super Bowl champion, but his contract year was not a good one. His coverage was genuinely bad and a defense in need of a ball hawk only got 1 from the guy who had 7 over the last two seasons. Still, with only second year man Andrew Mukuba as a viable starter at safety, it’s a shock he not coming back at that price.

Last off-season rumors swirled that the Eagles were close to an extension with Blankenship but nothing materialized. Considering all the extensions needed for better talent on the Eagles defense I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Now the Eagles are left with a possible 5th round comp pick next season.

The Eagles now have a hole in their secondary. Other high end safeties went off the board earlier in the day for larger contacts, so no idea what the plan is here. Do they look to bring back Marcus Epps? How about free agent from Penn State Jaquan Brisker? With plenty of draft picks they could look to Day 2 for another young replacement or possibly make a trade.

Dean is signing a 3/$36m deal with the Las Vegas Raiders and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Word for the last month has said that Dean was high on the Cowboys radar and he would welcome a reunion with new Dallas D Coordinator Christian Parker. Thank the good lord that didn’t happen.

Dean is a winner and a culture changer which would have made him a great fit in Dallas who stayed on brand by not wanting anything to do with a guy like that. Eagles fans have to be relieved with this outcome knowing that there was virtually no chance the team could keep him. This wasn’t about the money either, it was about availability. Benching 1st round pick Jihaad Campbell for the 2nd half of last year was simply not ideal, especially because he played great when he was on the field. There is just no room for 3 high end LBs with Zack Baun already entrenched.

The whole Dean situation is amazing to me considering he should never have dropped to the Eagles in the 3rd round of the 2022 Draft in the first place, then just when it looked like the team would have to let all everything LB Zack Baun walk because Dean finally broke out, Dean got hurt in the playoffs. This forced the Eagles to resign Baun and draft Campbell, only for Dean to come back better than ever. I could not be happier that Dean won a ring with the Eagles.

As for the Eagles, Jihaad Campbell could not be a backup linebacker, he’s just too good. Plus, Jeremiah Trotter and Smael Mondon are more than qualified for that role. We are not going to miss a beat here.

You have to wonder how this will affect the morale of the Philly Bulldogs. Yes, Jordan Davis was just extended, but this now leaves Jalen Carter without the guy who has always been behind him. I think he will be fine, but it is something to note.

First, it was Jaelan Phillips signing for 4/$120m in Carolina. I really like Phillips, but that is a lot. Then back-to-back, Boye Mafe signed with the Bengals for 3/$60m and Oadafe Oweh inked a 4/$100m deal with the Commanders. WTF!!! Eagles fans who wanted a legit pass rush threat in free agency will have to correct their thinking.

I truly do not get these transactions. Mafe lost his starting job with the Seahawks and Oweh looks like a Bryce Huff style pass rush specialist only who was traded out of Baltimore last year. I may be wrong, but I didn’t have either of these guys worth anything near this. The real winner from these transactions is the Dallas Cowboys shockingly. Their deal for Rashan Gary earlier today looks much better in retrospect considering his non-guaranteed $18m and $21m salaries that can be restructured down to 7 figures.

Where does this leave the Eagles? Well, Jonathan Greenard of the Vikings is looking better and better. He is nearly 29 and is coming off a bad and hurt year in Minnesota but had 12 sacks in each of 2023 and 2024. He signed a 4/$76m extension with the Vikings in 2024 which leaves a pair of $18m salary seasons left. These are mcuh like Rashan Gary’s with Dallas in that they can be restructured down to low 7 figures fairly easily. Just a thought. Otherwise, EDGE is likely our 1st or 2nd round draft target.

UPDATE: Of course right after I published this, Boye Mafe signs with the Bengals for 3/$60m and Odafe Oweh signs with the Commanders for 4/$100m

So far, the Eagles have been mostly quiet on this first day of free agency with no signings. However, attempts to resign Jaelan Phillips didn’t work out as he signed an enormous deal with the Carolina Panthers 4/$120m. The Eagles also lost WR3 Jahan Dotson who they likely didn’t put much effort into resigning. He goes to the Falcons at 2/$15m. However, the team did make the savvy move of retaining CB Michael Carter on a renegotiated 1/$3m contract. These moves combined with the recent Jordan Davis extension put the Eagles at around $25-$30m in cap space.

Still on the board are Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship. As for their markets, things have not been what I expected. As for Dean, the only inside LBs to get paid so far today are Tremaine Edmunds at 3/$36m (Giants), Demario Davis 2/$22m (Jets), and Alex Anzalone 2/$17m (Bucs). I predicted Dean would get 3/$45m, and while that is still in play, he could be seen as closer to Edmunds’ value. Nothing crazy has shifted his market. Especially after losing out on Phillips, it is certainly possibly that he comes back to the Eagles. However, I would still assume Dallas is the favorite for his services.

As for Blankenship, I was really expecting the safety market to blow up this offseason considering the names on the board and how big the deals were last offseason when Tra’Von Moehrig got 3/$51m from the Falcons. Instead, the top 3 guys all received 3/$40m contracts (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Coby Bryant, and Bryan Cook). Blankenship is not going to beat those guys out. If his contract expectations come in under $10m AAV, the Eagles would have to consider bringing him back. Considering the market, that is on the table.

The Phillips contract is bonkers. It is the biggest deal of the day so far and has the Eagles in position to land a 3rd round comp pick next draft. Also, the next best pass rushers on the market are thankfully still on the market because the Eagles need somebody. That could mean Trey Hendrickson (probably not), Odafe Oweh, Kwity Paye, Boye Mafe, or K’Lavon Chaisson as free agents or Jonathan Greenard in a trade. The EDGE market is crazy right now, so we’ll see.

Dotson gets 2/$15m from Atlanta in what should be a good move for the Eagles WR3 regardless of who is playing QB. He simply never got enough opportunities in the Eagles offense, but showed his quality in garbage games and of course with his huge, tone-setting catch in the first quarter of Super Bowl 59. Will forever love Dotson for that moment (and because he was not Quez Watkins).

Darius Cooper is the early favorite to now have a bigger role in the Eagles offense, but the team could look to draft a WR in the mid rounds of next April’s NFL draft.

The safety goes to Chicago from Seattle for 3/$40m. This is the second safety contract at that price of the day after Minkah Fitzpatrick with the Jets. This is interesting to Eagles fans because the Tra’Von Moehrig Effect (big contract last year despite average play) has apparently not hit the market. The odds of Reed Blankenship coming back at a reasonable price have increased despite one piece coming off the board.

Carter had a non-guaranteed $9.7m salary this season with a $10m cap and was always going to be released to save cap room. Him coming back at a $3m deal means he probably has a cap hit if just under $1.5m saving the team around $8.5m in space. He is solid depth at slot corner. Good move.

EDIT: I changed the title because apparently, he never stopped being an Eagle and just agreed to the almost complete pay cut. This is good because it saves an extra $1m in cap hit by basically not billing the minimum twice. There’s a technical difference, but it’s a good thing.

Well shit. Lets start with the big deal that concerns the Eagles. Despite trying to get a deal done before the deadline and reports that the Birds were optimistic in a reunion, Jaelan Phillips goes to the Panthers with a huge 4/$120m deal. The Eagles were apparently trying to stay under $25m AAV and there’s just no way they were going to match that number. It is top dollar. I’ll have more on this later, but here are the initial thoughts…

• That is a ton of money for someone with a big injury history. I thought that might affect his market. It did not.
• The Eagles need pass rush help now and will look to the market’s secondary offerings like Boye Mafe, Odafe Oweh, and K’Lavon Chaisson.
• Shit. He fit in very well with this defense. I wanted him back but not at that price.
• On the bright side, this contract almost definitely means a 3rd round comp pick for next year unless it’s cancelled out with another move

The Miami Dolphins could only go a few hours before overpaying another QB. They are paying 3/$67.5m for Willis who only has a few lifetime starts under his belt. Granted, this is right around the 3/$75m I figured he would get, but I did not believe the Dolphins would be the ones to give it to him. While it could be a steal if he is legit, Miami is not exactly in the best shape right now. This takes Tanner McKee off their board but puts him firmly on Arizona’s radar.

Likely gets 3/$40m from the Giants, reuniting the tight end with his former coach. Although he was not a serious target for the Eagles, we are still light on Tight End and could resign Dallas Goedert. It will be interesting to see if Likely gets more because he is younger or if Goedert beats him out due to his consistent production.

The Chiefs just chose a running back over their cornerback by giving Walker 3/$43m while Watson goes to the Rams for 3/$51m. This is a head scratcher. You have to wonder what the Chiefs are doing at this point unless they just see the rest of the offenses in the AFC as non-threats. This seems to be the opposite strategy of the 3 NFC contenders in Philly, LA, and Seattle.

Watson is the 2nd Chiefs CB to go to the Rams this week, joining Trent McDuffie (see below). They also brought back Kameron Kurl to rejoin Kam Kinchens in what is now a premier secondary to deal with the Eagles and Seahawks WRs. I had Watson at 3/$60m, so this is a bit of a break in the CB market which still has plenty of inventory.

Walker gets a solid contract for a RB after his Super Bowl heroics, landing at just over $14m per season. I had him at $12m AAV over 3 years, but close enough. Funny thing about Walker when I was writing him up is that he profiles as what everyone always claims Isaiah Pacheco is.

The first deal of free agency is Alec Pierce going back to the Colts for 4/$116m. Surprisingly, this affects the Eagles in a ton of ways…

1. Pierce is a good, not great receiver who led the league in yards per reception the last two seasons. Considering he is a strong #2 but not a #1, this moves the market way up. This was apparently the largest free agent receiver contract in history and includes $84m in guarantees.
2. By going back to the Colts, he is a receiver off the board for needy teams. Not that I want the Eagles to trade AJ Brown, but if they do, not only is he a scarce resource, but Pierce is only making $4m per season less than Brown. There is a huge gap in their two skill levels. Pierce was the best WR on the free agent market.
3. DeVonta Smith is underpaid. He took a discount when he signed his extension a few years ago and he is due a raise. If Pierce is getting $28m AAV, then what does DeVonta get? $33m AAV? $35m?

The Cowboys have traded a 2027 4th round pick for Packers defensive end Rashan Gary. Gary is 28 and signed a 4/$96m extension with Green Bay back in 2023. He still has 2 years left on that deal with $18m due in 2026 and $21m in 2027 (neither is guaranteed). Considering the Cowboys are not responsible for his signing bonus in anyway, they can restructure these numbers down to very little. However, there is probably a good chance they reach some kind of extension before the league new year begins on Wednesday.

Gary is a good, not great pass rusher who averages around 8 sacks a year over the last few seasons. The Packers were likely going to release Gary considering he actually said his goodbyes to Green Bay in an Instagram post yesterday which was later deleted. The EDGE market is an expensive one, so who knows if the Cowboys could have possibly signed him for cheaper but a 4th is a lot. We’ll see as the next few days play out. Certainly not a terrible move though. I guess he is their Maxx Crosby alternative?

The Miami Dolphins are releasing Tua Tagovailoa as a post June 1 cut. That means his $100m cap hit will be split between this offseason and next offseason. IT will still be a mammoth $67m this season and $33m next season though. They really wanted to be out of the Tua business and reset. Does this mean they want to be in the Tanner McKee business considering his minimum salary this season? I hope so!

The Dolphins have also traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a 7th round pick. Fitzpatrick quickly signed a 3/$40m extension. The Eagles need a safety but probably were not interested in the older Fitzpatrick. If they were, that would have signaled the end of Reed Blankenship in Philly (which may happen anyway). However, the $13.3m AAV on the deal will have an effect on the safety market. Fitzpatrick is still good and will turn 30 this season. Someone like Reed, who is 27, will try to beat that number. I think the only way he comes back is at $10m AAV, so the odds are getting longer.

Not only was CB Trent McDuffie traded from the Chiefs to the Rams, but he signed a big new deal as well: 4/$124m. That’s double bad news for the Eagles. First, the Rams got better. There are 3 teams in the NFC designed for sustained success right now and it’s the Seahawks, Eagles, and Rams and one of them just got one of the best CBs in football. Granted AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith have routinely cooked McDuffie, but still, he’s good.

Second, and what I care about most is what it does for the CB market and next year’s Eagles extension candidates, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. I will deep dive on their situations in the summer, but here is a quick look at the market:

Patrick Surtain got things started with his 4/$96m contract two years ago. After the season though, Jaycee Horn jumped the market by getting 4/$100 despite not being in Surtain’s class as a CB. This set the stage for a market reset. Shortly after Horn, Derek Stingley signed for 3/$90m, a $5m AAV leap. Later that summer, Sauce Gardner tacked another year and some change on to bring the market to 4/$120.4m, just $100k more in AAV per season. Well, Trent McDuffie took Sauce and raised him $1m AAV to 4/$124m.

Lest you think this is where it ends, Devon Witherspoon just wrapped up his 3rd season in the league and is therefore due for an extension. Since he is a 1st round pick, he does not NEED an extension, but it is probably in the best interest of the Seahawks to give him one. He was a game wrecker in the Super Bowl and will top McDuffie when he signs.

Q and Coop are going to be looking at whatever Witherspoon gets and will rightfully demand to be in the neighborhood. A lot can change in the next year, but the early hope from Eagles fans is that the two All-Pros take matching discounted contracts. We can keep both either way, so don’t worry, but any discount would be happily taken.