The Philadelphia Eagles went back to the basics, relying heavily on a strong running game and dominant defense to carry them to a Super Bowl LIX championship. If the reigning champions want to defend their title, they’ll have to start by accomplishing something they’ve never done: win their division after making a Super Bowl appearance.
First, the Eagles will have to find away to replenish their roster while balancing their salary cap. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has become known as one of the best executives in the league, but keeping the team intact will be a challenge.
Philadelphia entered the offseason with several impending free agents who played a significant role in their Super Bowl victory, including offensive guard Mekhi Becton, defensive tackle Milton Williams, defensive end Josh Sweat and linebacker Zack Baun.
Eagles could bring back Darius Slay after Zack Baun’s new deal
Roseman has already managed to retain one of those key contributors. The Eagles signed All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year, $51 million contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday. The deal includes $34 million guaranteed at signing and an additional $1.5 million in incentives, making Baun one of the league’s highest-paid interior linebackers.
The deal comes just a few days after Roseman cleared up some cap space by releasing six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay on Monday. The move was made in an effort to cut spending ahead of free agency, which begins at the start of the new league year on March 10. If the veteran cornerback was released with a post-June 1 designation, the Eagles will save $4.3 million in salary cap space.
Although Slay is no longer the player he once was, he served a vital leadership role for Philadelphia last season. The 12-year veteran helped lead a young secondary that saw significant playing time from rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Slay’s time with the team may not be over just yet, however. On Wednesday’s episode of his “Big Play Slay” podcast, the 34-year-old hinted that he could potentially re-sign to Philadelphia.
“It is part of the business and, nah, I’m not hurt about it,” Slay said about his release, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’m not sad about it. This is what I signed up for. I knew I gave that team everything I had, gave that organization everything I had. So it’s always a possibility, though, of your boy coming back. … If the Eagles do something nice, they know I’d love to be back. They know that. They know that. And I understand how this game is. Teams get younger, teams save cap space because they pay younger guys for their future. And that’s why I said there are no hard feelings. I know I’m 34. I know I’m way out of my prime but still playing at an elite, elite level. I know me and Howie [Roseman] had a great talk and he said the same. It’s not that I can’t play, it’s just part of the business. He said we’ll see how things shake out and we will. So possibly, he might spin the block back like he did last time.”
Whether or not Slay returns will likely depend on Philadelphia’s cap space. The Eagles currently have $21.9 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap. That figure doesn’t yet account for any cap ramifications of Baun’s new deal or the space cleared by Slay’s release.
Regardless, Philadelphia still has plenty of work to do before they consider squeezing Slay back onto the roster. Players often feel like they are deserving of a pay raise after hoisting a Lombardi Trophy, and they are typically compensated handsomely in free agency. The first of those pay raises came on Tuesday, as running back Saquon Barkley received a two-year, $41.2 million deal just one year after signing a three-year, $37.7 million deal.