Expect the Philadelphia Eagles to look much different in 2021.
Week 17 of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 2021 NFL season was a tough one. Sure, there was a game to watch, but it had no bearing on anything. When the third day of the new year began, we all knew that, of the four teams that play in the NFC East, there was only one team that had no shot at a playoff berth.
Yes, we’re talking about the Birds. Every conversation now will shift to who should stay and who should go and what Philly should do with that first-round selection.
It’s too early to answer the latter question. We can, however, begin to speculate about the former. An inflated Eagles cap number, the possibility of the NFL’s salary cap shrinking in 2021, and the performance we’ve seen from this team as of late tell us something. This team will look much different next season and several Birds that you’ve gotten to know over the years won’t be here.
If this is it and change is coming, here’s our staff’s attempt to say thank you to ten Eagles legends that we may have seen in the midnight green, white, black, and silver for the final time. Kudos are definitely in order.
1. DeSean Jackson, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
Is DeSean Jackson a future Hall of Famer? You can definitely make the argument after another touchdown bomb that was hauled in by 10 in Week 16 of 2020’s season. That extended his own record as his 25th touchdown reception of 60 or more yards means he’s the top man in the 101-year history of the NFL in that category. He may also be the best deep threat that the game has ever seen.
Okay, we’ve talked ourselves into it. Put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
How fitting is it that, in his second stint with the Birds, what might be D-Jax’s final touchdown as a member of the Eagles looked like the first two he scored back in Week 1 of 2019 and like so many touchdowns that he scored during a legendary career?
His return to the City of Brotherly Love may not have gone how many would have liked, but he’s still one of the best Birds of all time. There’s no denying that.
2. Alshon Jeffery, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
What’s that? You don’t think of Alshon Jeffery as a legend? Do yourself a favor. Go back and look at everything you saw from 2017 to 2018.
Remember that, in 2017, he played the entire season with a torn rotator cuff. Remember that he hauled in two touchdown passes from Nick Foles and he had that beautiful pirouette in the end zone during Super Bowl LII. That may not be good enough for you, but that qualifies as a ‘legend’ to our staff and to everyone else. Alshon Jeffery deserves more credit than he gets.
3. Jalen Mills, safety, Philadelphia Eagles
As easy as it is to criticize Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman for some of his draft choices, it’s hard to ignore those times that he pulled rabbits out of those hats too.
Jalen Mills was a seventh-round draft choice back in 2016. Now, there were questions about his character. We forget that sometimes, and rightfully so.
Mills is a great man of great character, but he was still a seventh-round draft choice. Just knowing that the Eagles got a guy who was a starter for most of his five-year run in the City of Brotherly Love is a reason to pat Howie on the back. His teammates love him. his coaches love him, but after signing a one-year deal with Philly back on March 24th, he hasn’t done much to justify the Eagles signing him to an extension.
4. Corey Clement, running back, Philadelphia Eagles
For one season, it looked like Corey Clement might be the second coming of another Birds superhero and versatile tailback, Brian Westbrook. You could even throw him in that Darren Sproles category (or at least it felt like it for a while).
For one night, Clement was one of the greatest football players on Planet Earth. That night just happened to be Super Bowl LII. Since then, he’s been plagued by injuries that he never completely healed from. Wow! What might have been had his body held up!
Give Howie credit for this one too, but Clement’s best days are clearly behind him. He won’t be back in 2021.
5. Brandon Graham, defensive end, Philadelphia Eagles
To find Philadelphia Eagles who are more beloved than Brandon Graham, you have to start talking about guys who are untouchable in team lore. We’re talking about guys like Brian Dawkins folks.
His career in midnight green got off to a slow start, but he never gave up on himself. Birds fans never gave up on him either. It paid off, and now, he’s a shoo-in for the Eagles’ Hall of Fame and the owner of the greatest strip-sack in NFL history.
It’s hard to imagine the Birds moving on from him as he’s gotten better with age, making his first Pro Bowl in 2020, but it is possible. B.G. is expensive, and if the Birds are looking to get younger and less expensive, 55 might be among the casualties.
6. Zach Ertz, tight end, Philadelphia Eagles
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. 2020 was supposed to be the year that Zach Ertz passed Harold Carmichael for the most receptions in franchise history. Instead, most of the narrative surrounding him has been about contract disputes, an off-year, and a physical regression that no one saw coming.
Ertz holds a special place in our hearts though, and we’ll never be able to get the image of him diving into the end zone in Super Bowl LII out of our heads. Next season, we may have a new image of 86 though, one in which he’s wearing another team’s jersey.
Philly doesn’t have to do anything. Ertz is signed through the 2021 season, but the writing might be on the wall. Moving on from an aging tight end who comes with a hefty price tag might be part of Philly’s plan in 2021.
7 Jason Kelce, center, Philadelphia Eagles
You can argue all you want about the next statement. You won’t change our staff’s mind about this. Jason Kelce deserves a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when his playing days are over.
For a six-foot-three and 295-pound NFL offensive linemen, it didn’t surprise anyone when words like ‘undersized’ were thrown around. No one says that now though.
Four Pro Bowl nods, three First-team All-Pro nods (he may have four of those at season’s end), and a Vince Lombardi Trophy later, Kelce is one of the best players to ever play the center position in the NFL. He’s also the author of the greatest speech in the history of victory parades, not bad for a former sixth-round draft choice.
8. Jason Peters, tackle/guard, Philadelphia Eagles
Sometimes, things don’t end as you think they should. Some legends ride off into the sunset like a conquering hero. Others become old guys that make us wonder when they’re leaving. Unfortunately, Jason Peters has become the latter.
Every time he asks for money, people ask if he’s clueless about how much he’s regressed. He’s always been spoiled by this Eagles franchise, but now, words like ‘selfish’ and ‘diva’ are being thrown around more often.
When ‘The Bodyguard’ finally leaves us in 2021 (we hope), he’ll be remembered as one of the best Eagles players in franchise history, and one day, he’ll be welcomed back with open arms and a standing ovation. He just has to leave first, and for most fans of this great franchise, the belief is he should have been shown the door officially a long time ago.
9. Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles
Some of you have been clamoring for Jim Schwartz’s departure for a while, and it appears that you may have gotten your wish. Though he was never hired by Doug Pederson, he’s always had his coach’s back, off of the field at least.
As Philly’s defensive mastermind, he’s had his moments. See the Eagles’ games versus the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings during their march to the Super Bowl if you need evidence. Unfortunately, Coach Schwartz’s defenses are too hot and cold. See Super Bowl LII if you need evidence of that.
In the end, it’s those bad games that define his tenure here the most. Whether he retires or not, he’s one of the game’s great defensive minds. Maybe it was just a matter of his voice getting stale in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room.
10. Carson Wentz, quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Like a tall glass of Pepsi, Carson Wentz‘s career got off to a bang. It was full of flavor. It was full of sizzle, and it felt like the fizz would rise to the top of the glass and spill over for years to come.
You all know what happens to a Pepsi that sits around too long though, and 11’s career can be described the same way. Whatever it was that we were sipping doesn’t taste the same. The fizz is gone, and there’s a large section of the Birds fan base that believes a Coke and a smile will feel better.
Well, Jalen Hurts is the Coca Cola in this story, and with his emergence came the theory that Wentz may have played his final game as the Eagles’ starter. Only time will tell if that’s accurate.