Tracking Eagles news and rumors during free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
NFL free agency begins this week, so we’ll be following any Eagles news and rumors that crop up along the way:
An update
Catch your breath and catch up here:
Another defensive player leaves
The day after TJ Edwards left in free agency, fellow linebacker Kyzir White left as well. White reportedly signed with the Arizona Cardinals. It’s a reunion with former DC Jonathan Gannon, who is now Arizona’s head coach.
This means the Eagles will have two new starting linebackers in 2023. Nakobe Dean and ???
Eagles add running back
The Eagles have signed deals with their first outside free agent this offseason. They give RB Rashaad Penny a one-year contract, who has been very good when healthy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he hasn’t been very healthy during his career.
We don’t know the numbers yet, but we expect it to be a low risk, high reward move for the Eagles. And that almost certainly ends Miles Sanders’ tenure in Philadelphia. Sanders is aware of this:
The Giants land a playmaker
The Giants traded for star tight end Darren Waller, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported. It’s a huge move and the Giants gave up a third-round pick (No. 100), according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s the same choice the Giants had for Kadarius Toney.
Waller is a former Pro Bowler who is now 30 and played just 9 games last year and 11 games in 2021. But while at his best in 2020, he caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards and 9 touchdowns. If he ends up being healthy, then Daniel Jones has a huge weapon.
Eagles connection to Pittsburgh
The Steelers are signing former Eagles offensive lineman Nate Herbig to a two-year, $8 million deal, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported.
Herbig, 24, was a restricted free agent last year but was eventually waived by the Eagles and claimed by the Jets. The former UDFA started 11 games in New York last season and is now moving to Pittsburgh, where former Eagles front office member Andy Weidl is the assistant general manager. In three years with the Eagles, from 2019 to 2021, Herbig played 33 games and started 17. He’s a solid player who carved out a great career after being drafted from Stanford in 2019.
Former Eagles get paid
We finally have some contract details for three former Eagles heading to free agency:
Kelce takes her bag
The Eagles are bringing Jason Kelce back for a 13th season, but it won’t come cheap. His new one-year contract is worth $14.25 million in 2023, a source said. This keeps him as the highest paid center in the NFL.
Interested in Brissett?
The Eagles need a backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts because Gardner Minshew is a free agent. And according to Aaron Wilson, the Eagles are one of the teams that have shown interest in veteran Jacoby Brissett.
Nick Sirianni loves Brissett. We heard that from him last summer when the Eagles practiced against the Browns in Ohio. But the problem here might be money. Brissett played pretty well for the Browns last season while awaiting the end of Deshaun Watson’s suspension. And he could have played out of reach for the Eagles. Spotrac estimated Brissett’s value at $5.4 million, which may be too much for the Eagles. But if they can reduce Brissett’s number enough, it would make a lot of sense.
We saw a few saves leave the market on Day 1: Case Keenum, Mike White, Jarrett Stidham, and Sam Darnold all found new teams. The Eagles really value the QB position and a backup on a team with playoff aspirations is a big deal.
More people are leaving
After Javon Hargrave and TJ Edwards begin the exodus, two more Eagles leave.
Andre Dillard -> Titans
Marcus Epps -> Raiders
Dillard’s three-year deal is reportedly worth $29 million, while Epps was given a two-year contract worth $12 million. Dillard was not going to return as a backup in 2023. Epps was a starter in 2022 and fellow starting safety CJ Gardner-Johnson is also a free agent.
another start
Javon Hargrave has been PAID. The former Eagles DT is heading to San Francisco for a big contract.
The legend returns
Jason Kelce has announced great news: he’s back!
The Cunningham Connection
The Bears struck first in free agency, landing TJ Edwards to a three-year contract. But the team with the most cap space this offseason might not be done signing former Eagles.
Cunningham was hired as assistant general manager for the Bears last offseason. He was previously director of player personnel for the Eagles and has been with the Eagles since 2017. So he’s been a big part of building the Eagles roster and now with a ton of cap space in Chicago, the Bears can in bring some. players on board.
Bradberry weighs
James Bradberry is one of the Eagles’ best pending free agents. It seems likely he’ll sign elsewhere, but the Eagles apparently want to know.
The part the Eagles want to be able to match is certainly interesting. I don’t know if they would be able to keep it even if they had that chance. But it’s clear the Eagles would like to get him back if possible.
A “strong effort”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had a bunch of pre-free agency nuggets, including this one on CJ Gardner-Johnson:
“The Eagles have several key players they could bring back, and while it appears they are waiting for markets to develop before reacting, some in the league believe they have been pushing hard to re-sign the Eagles. safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who appears set for the open market, could open the door to a new signing of cornerback James Bradberry or another player.
Gardner-Johnson gets his first chance to test free agency and it looks like he’ll hit the open market on Wednesday. It looks like the Eagles were willing to pay CJGJ, but if he leaves for a better deal somewhere else, then maybe the Eagles can channel that money to another player like Bradberry or someone else.
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