ClutchPoints
After a long and winding road of ups, downs, and adversity, the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions once more.
They beat some of the best teams in the NFL, proved they can win in a number of different ways, and now sit pretty as the cream of the league’s crop, forever known as the team that ruined the Kansas City Chiefs’ three-peat aspirations.
And yet, in order to defend their title and prove they, too, are capable of a dynasty, Philadelphia will have to make some serious decisions about his impending free agents, with multiple Super Bowl starters now set to test the open market unless Howie Roseman steps in to prevent that from happening.
Will the Eagles keep Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, who each brought Patrick Mahomes down in the Super Bowl? Unfortunately, that feels unlikely, as they will both demand massive extensions that Philadelphia may not be willing to pay, what with their current depth and long-term cap constraints. How about Mekhi Becton? Maybe, but you’d have to think some team will offer him a big contract to join their squad with a chance to play tackle potentially on the table.
Will it be disappointing to see these players leave if that ends up being the play? Sure, all three played a massive role in Super Bowl 59 and will be heroes forever as a result. With that being said, there are multiple players who Philly will undoubtedly try to bring back, including the Eagles’ 2024 defensive MVP.
If the Eagles don’t re-sign Zack Baun, we riot.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit extreme, as no one wants to see a Mavericks situation break out in the City of Brotherly Love, but to say Baun has been anything but a revelation at inside linebacker for the Eagles would be putting it mildly, as he’s probably the best interior linebacker the team has employed since… Chuck Bednarik?
Pro Bowl? Check. First-Team All-Pro? Check. 100 tackle season? Goodness, Baun had that mark before Thanksgiving and added an additional 51 on top of it for good measure to give all-time franchise single-season combined tackles leader T.J. Edwards a run for his money.
And the best part? He did it all for less than $2 million dollars on his barely over league minimum contract.
After largely filling a special teams/reserve rusher role in New Orleans after being drafted in the third round out of Wisconsin, likely because of his impressive size, Baun became a certified force for the Eagles, feasting on easy tackles set up by Fangio’s defensive line, while looking natural as both a coverage player and a standup rusher. Though he did get beat on occasion in both the passing and running game, few could expect a player to take to a new position as quickly and successfully as Baun, essentially on the fly.
Currently projected to earn a contract with an average valuation of $17.6 million, according to Over The Cap – which feels...
