The Philadelphia Eagles will need to be aggressive this offseason if they want to keep the defense together.
Philadelphia's defense has been phenomenal and arguably is the biggest reason why the team is heading to the Super Bowl, but multiple key pieces will hit the open market after the season, including breakout star Zack Baun.
He signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Eagles and certainly is going to get more after the season. ESPN's Dan Graziano attempted to predict the next contracts for the biggest stars heading to free agency. For Baun, he predicted he will land a four-year, $60 million deal.
"The Eagles landed Baun on a one-year, $3.5 million contract last offseason, and he turned into one of the top bargains in the league," Graziano said. "He had a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber regular season, helping fuel a defensive turnaround that landed Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. He'll obviously be looking for much more on the open market, and the Eagles may not be able to keep him around. Per Roster Management System, Philadelphia has $7.9 million in cap space for 2025 and multiple free agents to consider.
"Getting to $15 million per year would put Baun in the top five at his position, behind only Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds and Fred Warner. Prediction: Four years, $60 million, $35 million guaranteed -- which would be fourth among off-ball linebackers in average annual value."
The Eagles will need to free up some cap space if they want to find a way to keep him around.
