The Philadelphia Eagles will acquire a mid-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for defensive end Bryce Huff, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 27-year-old spent one season in Philly, appearing in 12 games (six starts) and recording 2.5 sacks.
ESPN sources: 49ers and Eagles are working to finalize a trade that will send edge rusher Bryce Huff to San Francisco for a mid-round pick. The trade cannot and would not be processed until after June 1. But both sides are working to make it happen, and Huff already has reworked… pic.twitter.com/FJeGc9Cfwx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 30, 2025
The first four years of Huff's career were spent with the New York Jets, where Robert Saleh was his head coach. Not so coincidentally, Saleh is now the defensive coordinator in San Francisco. This move, which won't become official until after June 1, makes Huff the third former Jet to join the Niners roster in the last week.
Huff has already agreed to restructure his contract in order to facilitate a deal. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports, Huff has not been present with the Eagles for OTAs.
"They paid a lot of money for (Huff) last year in free agency," he said. "It did not work out. They've tried for a while to send him somewhere."
The Eagles and 49ers are working to finalize a trade that will send Bryce Huff to San Francisco#PMSLive #FTTB pic.twitter.com/RniMcmmeed
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 30, 2025
Eagles trade Bryce Huff to 49ers, where he reunites with former HC Robert Saleh
This was a no-brainer for the Eagles, who ease their cap burden and recoup future value for a player they could not rely on.
As for the Niners, it's a chance to get Huff back in the Saleh system, where he experienced much greater success — including 29 tackles, 21 QB hits and 10 sacks in 2023.
Huff initially signed a three-year, $51 million contract to join the Eagles, with an opt-out after the 2025 season. In restructuring his deal, the Eagles save $7.95 million and create more than $15 million in cap space, per ESPN's Field Yates. To turn a full-bore disappointment into draft capital and cap flexibility, especially for such a deep and expensive roster, is a huge victory.
The cap specifics of this deal:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 30, 2025
The Eagles declined Bryce Huff's $15.58M fully guaranteed option bonus, which turned it into base salary.
Philadelphia then turned $9.05M of that base salary into a signing bonus, which allows San Francisco to take on the remaining money… https://t.co/FBkXHANhxx
49ers fans are understandably optimistic given Huff's prior success under Saleh, but it's worth noting the scope of positive reactions to this news in Philadelphia. Huff could not maintain his grip on a starting role in the vaunted Eagles defense. He faces less stiff competition for reps in San Francisco, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
While Huff is still in his prime at 27, the analytics paint a grim portrait. He also figures to steal reps from Mykel Williams. There is often merit to bringing a rookie along slowly, but Williams hails from a Georgia program with a strong track record of producing immediate-impact defenders. If Williams performs but he's stuck losing snaps to a middling vet in Huff, that dynamic will irriate a Niners fanbase desperate to climb back to contention.
If Huff delivers on his former promise and reaches his peak Jets form in San Francisco, then both sides will be content. Maybe the Niners even feel like winners of this trade. Based on what we saw last season, however, the Eagles shed an overpaid fringe starter for immense cap relief and draft capital, which positions them as the victors of this exchange. Dealing with Howie Roseman is always a slippery slope for opposing front offices.
Eagles trade grade: A
49ers trade grade: C+