March 09, 2026
NFL free agency begins at noon on Monday, so for those of you who haven't paid much attention to the team since they lost in the first round of the playoffs, let's do a quick free agency primer to get you up to date.
Technically, Monday begins the "legal tampering" phase of free agency. The official start of free agency isn't until Wednesday. But, for all intents and purposes the first day is really Monday, as players will "agree to terms" with teams around the league. They just won't become official until Wednesday. A player might change his mind during that window (hello, Frank Gore), but that's extremely rare.
In other words, if you start paying attention on Wednesday, that's kind of like of missing the first seven seasons of Game of Thrones and tuning in for the final bad one.
The Eagles lost a handful of starters in free agency last year, and they likely will again this year. The four most noteworthy players whose futures in Philly are uncertain are as follows:
• TE Dallas Goedert: Goedert has played eight seasons for the Eagles, and has been a quality contributor for them. However, the forced a pay cut on him last season, so he is almost certain to entertain offers from other teams. Goedert is still a good receiver but regressed significantly as a blocker last season.
• EDGE Jaelan Phillips: Phillips was acquired at the trade deadline last season, and played well for the Eagles down the stretch. If he leaves, the Eagles will be thin on the edge. He is likely the player the Eagles will try their hardest to retain.
• LB Nakobe Dean: Dean has been good for the Eagles when healthy, but he has often been unavailable due to an assortment of injuries. Should Dean leave, the Eagles have 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell waiting in the wings as a replacement.
• S Reed Blankenship: Blankenship signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and has started for the Eagles the last three seasons. His price tag on the open market could be too high for the Eagles to retain him.
Next tier of Eagles free agents to keep an eye on, offense:
Next tier of Eagles free agents to keep an eye on, defense (and one special teamer):
The Eagles have maxed out their team spending to a higher degree than most -- if not all -- NFL teams. And so, it's going to be difficult to add outside players to their roster. Expect them to scour the bargain bin in free agency.
I threw some darts at players I think make some sense for them here, here, and here.
It's also perhaps the weakest group of free agents I can ever remember, so this is a good year to sit out on a spending spree anyway.
As we laid out a week ago, Howie Roseman has made 15 trades near the start of free agency in the 10 previous offseasons, so this is a prime part of the year where he'll wheel and deal. Sometimes the players who are traded are expected, sometimes they're not.
Per multiple sources, the Eagles are actively negotiating a trade of star wide receiver A.J. Brown, with the New England Patriots being the most likely trade partner, although other teams are in the mix.
However, the timing of a trade is complicated. As we laid out in detail a couple months ago, the Eagles can trade Brown now, but doing so would result in short-term financial difficulties. Alternatively, they can trade him after June 1, when the financial restrictions won't be as stringent, but the return might not be as great, since teams around the league will have pivoted to other wide receiver options.
If a deal is going to get done prior to the draft, the Eagles would like for it to happen sooner than later so they can execute their offseason plan, having clarity on the exact financial ramifications. If a deal doesn't get done, then, well, reporting on a trade of Brown is going drag on indefinitely.
Brown aside, players who make sense in a trade include QB Tanner McKee and S Sydney Brown.
Jordan Davis was rewarded with a new $78 million deal on Saturday. Other noteworthy players who are eligible for contract extensions who would make sense to varying degrees include Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Tanner McKee, and Tyler Steen.
(Carter is the most obvious candidate, by far.)
There was some speculation that Lane Johnson and/or Landon Dickerson could retire this offseason, but both will return for at least another season in 2026.
And then there's Brandon Graham, who retired last offseason, only to return to the team during the season. He is also expected to play another season and re-sign with the Eagles, in a limited role.
Otherwise, barring any major surprises, there aren't any other players currently on the roster who are expected to retire.
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