Eagles’ future hangs in the balance as clock ticks toward must-know offseason date

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman often avoids bidding wars at all costs, even for one of his own players.

In that sense, the clock is ticking on the Philadelphia Eagles’ most important pending free agent. 

We’re a hair over two weeks away from the NFL’s legal tampering window for 2026 free agents, which opens March 9. That date stands as a deadline, of sorts, for Roseman and the Eagles to find common ground on an extension for edge defender Jaelan Phillips.

The Eagles sent a third-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins to acquire Phillips prior to last year’s NFL trade deadline, and the fit was as good as advertised. In nine games, including the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs, Phillips racked up 44 QB pressures and another 35 hurries, per Pro Football Focus. 

He was a force working off the opposite edge as Nolan Smith Jr., and Eagles fans would love to see that tandem continue to torment opposing quarterbacks in 2026 and beyond.

The problem is that Phillips figures to be in high demand if Roseman allows him to test free agency. Spotrac projects his market value at around $17 million per season, or $52 million on a three-year contract.

That sounds like a no-brainer, as the Eagles just signed middle linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year deal in that same general ballpark. But Philly’s financial situation is complicated, and these next 16 days or so should tell us all we need to know.

If Phillips dips even one toe into the free agent pool this March, his chances of landing back in Philly will be slim to none.

Howie Roseman is running out of time with the Eagles’ most important free agent

No team spent less in 2025 free agency than the Eagles, coming off their latest Super Bowl championship. Roseman passed on a bidding war for defensive tackle Milton Williams, for example, instead prioritizing additional opportunities for younger players while filling roster gaps with cheap, one-year free agents like Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari.

The expectation following a financial reset like 2025 would be a more aggressive approach to the new league year, but Eagles fans are unfortunately expecting more of the same. Philadelphia will spend 2026 digging out of a mountain of dead-cap charges, brutal parting gifts for key starters like Dallas Goedert and Reed Blankenship.

The Eagles, as a result, currently sit near the bottom third of the league in salary cap space. They’re not in a dire situation, thanks to Roseman’s year-over-year prowess in the NFL draft, but when it comes to a sizable, multi-year extension for Phillips? It just might not be in the cards.

Jalen Carter just became extension eligible, and future financial flexibility is important with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean on deck in 2027. Every move Roseman made last offseason was done with the future in mind, and that strategy is likely to continue through the first wave of free agency this year.

March 9 is the key date to circle. Phillips ranked No. 3 overall on The Athletic’s top 150 free agents. Once the legal tampering window opens, he’ll draw immediate interest, and if it gets to that point, the Eagles are all but out.

Roseman has two-plus weeks remaining to make a move, and it’s worth noting that both Baun and Saquon Barkley signed their 2025 extensions during the first week of March. That feels like the tentative deadline for a deal.

Read more: Emerging Eagles draft pick could be counting down his final days in Philly

In the meantime, one of the most critical components to Vic Fangio’s defense will hang in the balance.