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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 10: Jaelan Phillips #50 of the Philadelphia Eagles in action against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles may have just been handed a rare offseason opportunity involving edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
As Sports Illustrated noted, Pro Football Focus projects Phillips to land a surprisingly modest one-year, $15 million deal in free agency with $12.5 million guaranteed.
For a 26-year-old pass rusher who was a massive addition to Philadelphia’s defense after arriving at the trade deadline, that number immediately stands out.
Many around the league believe that number would be a steal for a player of Phillips’ caliber.
PFF cited his injury concern:
“Injuries have plagued Phillips’ career,” PFF wrote, “but he looked closer to his best after arriving in Philadelphia ahead of the trade deadline.”
From Week 10 on, he generated 44 total pressures.
PFF assigned Phillips a 78.4 overall grade and compared the projection to Chase Young’s 2024 deal, a short-term bet on upside.
If that projection is even close to accurate, the Eagles should already be working the phones.
A Productive Fit in Vic Fangio’s Defense
Phillips didn’t arrive in Philadelphia with much runway, but he quickly carved out a meaningful role.
After being acquired from Miami for a 2026 third-round pick, he appeared in eight games and posted 2 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, 4 passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
More importantly, he consistently set the edge, something that is invaluable to Vic Fangio’s scheme.
After acquiring edge rusher Jaelan Phillips ahead of Week 10, the Eagles’ defense took a major step forward.
Over the final nine games, Philadelphia ranked first in the NFL in points allowed at 15.6 per game and held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.3 percent completion rate.
Earlier in the season, the defense was solid but more middle of the pack, making Phillips’ impact on the late-season turnaround hard to ignore.
Why $15 Million Could Be a Steal for Howie Roseman
From a market standpoint, the PFF projection looks even better when stacked against Spotrac.
Spotrac, a public database of sports contracts and salary-cap data, has Phillips’ value at just over $52 million across three years.
That gap alone makes a short-term deal extremely appealing for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.
Philadelphia has major financial decisions ahead, including potential extensions for Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
However, a one-year prove-it deal would limit long-term risk while keeping an important defensive piece in place in 2026.
ESPN’s Tim McManus labeled Phillips one of Philadelphia’s key re-signing decisions this offseason, noting both the production and the complications.
“Phillips’ injury history might hold his value down some,” McManus wrote, “but he’s a young (26), productive edge rusher, which typically equals big money in free agency.”
That’s what makes the PFF number so intriguing.
The Eagles don’t have a seamless replacement waiting behind him, and losing Phillips would reopen a pass-rush problem they already traded assets to fix.
Among the many decisions Roseman has to make this offseason, bringing back Phillips may be the biggest one.
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