With free agency rapidly approaching, the Philadelphia Eagles have already let the first shoe drop on their way to a successful title defense: re-signing Zack Baun to a new three-year $51 million extension with $36 million guaranteed.
On paper, this is about as good a deal as the Eagles could ask for and the one move most fans wanted to see above all others. Though he took an unconventional path to becoming a star inside linebacker, spending his first contract split between the edge and special teams in New Orleans, Baun turned in a season for the ages in 2024 and is now being paid like one of the best players at the position as a result. Vic Fangio gets his closer back, Jalen Carter and company have a do-it-all man in the middle who can clean up their mistakes, and the Eagles can build their roster around Baun in the middle long term.
But what’s next? Can the Eagles find a few more diamonds in the rough like Baun and Saquon Barkley in 2025, who were both extended on new deals after incredible feats in 2024? Or will Howie Roseman make a massive swing for another top player, winning the offseason from a headline standpoint before the real grading begins this fall?
Well, with roughly $11.4 million in cap space to work with, according to Spotrac, and a staggering $59.9 million in dead money against the cap – the second-highest mark in the NFL – the Eagles can’t really load up on that many massive new deals unless they kick money down the road, which isn’t a bad idea for the right player, but could prove devastating if the player in question fails to pan out.
In a free agent class headlined largely by former Eagles Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, and Milton Williams, the Eagles should avoid paying up big money over multiple years for a player who isn’t a lock to fit with their core moving forward.
2 free agents the Eagles should avoid in 2025
1. Joey Bosa
On paper, recently released edge rusher Joey Bosa is the kind of player the Eagles should consider signing if they can get him on a good deal. Bosa is a former first-round pick and Pro Bowl player who has multiple double-digit sack seasons on his resume and even has some scheme versatility, with an ability to kick inside like Brandon Graham, who has since retired from football after tearing his triceps twice last season. Goodness, he won’t even count against the comp pick formula, considering he was released.
The problem? At 29, Bosa isn’t quite at the “take $5 million to compete for a title” stage of his career just yet, with the potential for his next contract to come in around the same ballpark as Williams and Sweat. While that would be fine if Bosa was regularly playing 15 games per season, as his impact on the game would easily make him worthy of a long-term deal in that $15-20 million range per season, Bosa hasn’t played 15 or more games since 2021 and has only hit that mark three times in his career.
While the 49ers are understandably expected to be Bosa’s top landing spot, as his brother Nick is a star in San Francisco, if John Lynch isn’t interested in pairing up the duo for one reason or another, the Eagles could theoretically swoop in and add Joey as their new starting edge opposite Nolan Smith. But if they have to give him a long-term deal at good money, they might be better off investing in a player like Harold Landry, who has played 391 more snaps than Bosa despite being drafted two years later than the Ohio State product.
2. Khalil Mack
Another potential signing, another former Chargers outside linebacker/edge rusher who could find a new home in 2025 after a pretty good season under Jim Harbaugh.
On paper, Mack has been more productive than Bosa over the past few years, earning three straight Pro Bowl nods during his run in Los Angeles while amassing 31 sacks over 50 games. Mack has remained as good as ever in both the passing and run game, whether playing for Brandon Staley, Derrick Ansley, or Jesse Minter and could theoretically produce at a Pro Bowl level again in 2025 if he’s placed in an advantageous scheme.
The problem? Mack is already 34 and has played 9,173 regular season NFL snaps so far in his career. At best, Mack should be considered a year-to-year player who can jump from contender to contender until he decides to hang up his cleats, but considering how good he’s been as of late for the Chargers, would he be willing to accept a one-year, $18 million deal with some money spread out via void years? Or would Mack want to push for a long-term deal, which will likely be available to him if multiple GMs are competing for his services?
Would Mack dominate for the Eagles? Yes. Would Mack be able to play outside and in while allowing Fangio to mix up his playcalls moving forward? Oh yeah, but would giving him a three-year, $60 million contract be a worthy investment, especially if the Eagles have to push much of that money into the future because of their relatively low cap space in 2025? While a 36-year-old Mack could still be an 8-12 sack per season player if deployed correctly, the chances of his age showing should give the Eagles pause outside of a win-now, one-year deal, as having two unplayable edge rushers on massive AAV contracts would be a disaster moving forward.
If Roseman can trade Bryce Huff, then yeah, give Mack a call, but if the former Jet remains on the roster heading into 2025, the Eagles need to focus on long-term building blocks and short-term contenders instead of finding the “cherry on top” of their championship roster.
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