The Super Bowl is wrapped up and the NFL offseason is about to get a whole lot interesting. Starting from Tuesday, February 18 to the next couple of weeks, the teams are gonna franchise tag one of their free agents in 2025. Starting with the Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, who have four players set to hit free agency this offseason.
Now, here’s the deal: the Philadelphia team has some big names hitting free agency—linebacker Zack Baun, edge rusher Josh Sweat, defensive tackle Milton Williams, and guard Mekhi Becton. Now, they’ve got the option to lock one of them down with a sweet deal for next season. But here’s the twist: it’s looking like they won’t be throwing a franchise tag on any of these guys, including their standout defender, Baun, from last season.
Let that sink in for a moment. You see, the franchise tag figures are basically based on the top five salaries of a respective position. On top of that, the CBA does not distinguish between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher. Now that most of the edge rushers are listed as linebackers in the NFL, that means the LB is actually the second-highest tag value behind QB. That means, the Eagles are unlikely to franchise tag Zack Baun.
The franchise tag window opens today.
An important note: The CBA does not distinguish between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher. The tag value for LB is based on the top five salaries for LBs — and that includes edge rushers who are considered OLBs.
That means LB is actually…
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) February 18, 2025
The reason seems pretty simple for the team. The projected franchise tag figure for LBs is over $27M. And the Eagles aren’t gonna pay an off-ball linebacker that hefty amount for one year. But let’s be real—that’s kinda sound unfair for Baun. The reason? Well, the 28-year-old LB was a total beast in the 2024 season.
The guy spent four years with the Saints, and, let’s just say the ‘good seasons’ were hard to find. But then—bam—he signed one-year deal with the Eagles and suddenly he was a beast on the field and a threat to the opposition. Talk about a glow-up after changing cities. His stats? They’re straight fired up—he recorded 152 combined tackles, 94 solo tackles, 58 assists, and 2.5 sacks. Hmm, let’s just say, these numbers are well enough for a guy who had struggling seasons with the Saints.
But the thing is, the Eagles signed him on a $3.5M one-year deal back in 2024. Sure, Baun had the best season of his career, but the Eagles are unlikely to offer him a hefty contract worth $27M—no matter how well he performed. After all, the Eagles are surely looking to build a dynasty now.
Why can’t our dynasty start now: Saquon Barkley
The Philadelphia Eagles might be many things, but they’re for sure the Avengers of the NFL. It was the year 2005 when they lost the Super Bowl to the Patriots. More than a decade later, they avenged their defeat and lifted their maiden Super Bowl title. Fast forward to 2022 season, they’re looking to win their second title but the Chiefs crushed their dreams and guess what? A couple of years later, they avenged that loss as well.
And if the Eagles are gonna be the next dynasty in the league, those two Super Bowl wins are definitely the perfect prologue of their epic story. And when Saquon Barkley was asked if the team can start a dynasty after beating the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, he had, well, a mixed opinion. “Yeah, I said after the game, why can’t our dynasty start now?” Barkley told On3.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA 2054: Commanders vs Eagles JAN 26 January 26, 2025, Philadelphia PA Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley 26 warms up before the NFC championship against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Eric Canha/CSM Credit Image: Â Eric Canha/Cal Media Philadelphia Pa USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20250126_zma_c04_419.jpg EricxCanhax csmphotothree350036
“(I) Probably had a little bit of champagne and other stuff in my system at the time, but you really can’t focus on that. You just got to enjoy the moment. It’s hard to win one. And you take it in, you enjoy the moment and you start all over.…So you take it in, you cherish it, you enjoy it, you appreciate the fans, but the dynasty thing, you can’t really get caught up in that.” It’s pretty early to say the Eagles are gonna start a dynasty in the league.
Here’s the thing though—their Super Bowl win had everyone thinking they could really kick off a winning streak. Especially after they knocked out the back-to-back champs this year. And with their core guys, including Saquon Barkley, coming back in 2025? Yeah, they’ve got the pieces to keep it rolling. But let’s be real—it’s still a little too soon to crown them just yet. After all, even Saquon Barkley believes that it’ll gonna need a lot of hard work to win another Super Bowl.
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