This offseason is surely having everyone coming out of the woods to share their opinions on who the Philadelphia Eagles should re-sign to the roster for the 2026 season.
There are multiple key free agents for the Eagles to decide on, including Jaelan Phillips, Reed Blankenship, Nakobe Dean, and Dallas Goedert. ESPN Eagles beat reporter Tim McManus shared more on how the Eagles' decision on how they handle the re-signing of Phillips will define the team's offseason.
"The Eagles acquired Phillips from Miami at the November trade deadline for a 2026 third-round pick, and he proved to be a sound schematic and locker room fit. He had 2 sacks, 7 QB hits, 4 passes defensed and a forced fumble in eight games and excelled at setting the edge against the run -- a must in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system. Phillips' injury history might hold his value down some, but he's a young (26), productive edge rusher, which typically equals big money in free agency. Philadelphia has other contributors set to become free agents, including tight end Dallas Goedert, safety Reed Blankenship and linebacker Nakobe Dean. With players such as defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter eligible for paydays and only so much money to go around, the Eagles have some difficult decisions in front of them."
Will Howie Roseman re-sign Jaelan Phillips this offseason?
Phillips' estimated market value this offseason is around $17 million per year. That is a ton of money for the Eagles to cough up, especially since they are going into the offseason with about $20 million of salary cap space.
Franchise tagging Phillips would make zero sense, as it could cost an estimated $26.6 million and would cripple the Eagles financially for the 2026 season. There are too many needs on the roster to go that far, so it makes sense to either give him a long-term contract or nothing.
If the Eagles wanted to avoid paying Phillips and look in the NFL Draft for an edge rusher, there are at least 10 of them that are projected to go in the first round that can be stellar selections as starters on the team. Roseman has hinted that he could use the draft more aggressively to build the roster, so going down that route makes more sense.
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Roseman has a really tough decision with Phillips and must make the right call, or the Eagles could miss another Super Bowl shot as the window to win it again with this core group closes.