Eagles Pegged to Lose Star Edge Rusher to NFC East Rival

Whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles are a favorite to re-sign edge rusher Jaelan Phillips changes by the day and by the analyst.

On Friday, ESPN’s Dan Graziano was not in favor of Phillips staying with the Eagles. However, the NFL insider predicted the edge rusher to remain in the NFC East — with the Washington Commanders.

“Phillips comes with that injury history, but he played well for the Eagles after being traded to Philadelphia from Miami at the deadline — and they have at least some interest in trying to keep him,” wrote Graziano. “Two of his five sacks last season came in Philly. He’s a young free agent (still just 26), and that helps mitigate the injury risk a little.

“It’s possible he does a one-year prove-it deal somewhere if his market doesn’t do what he hopes it does. And it’s also possible a division rival snatches him away.”

While Graziano presented the possibility of Phillips signing a 1-year deal, he didn’t ultimately predict that to happen. The ESPN insider projected Phillips to sign a 4-year, $92 million deal.

Graziano also predicted the edge rusher to receive $32 million guaranteed.

The Eagles acquired Phillips from the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick at the NFL trade deadline in early November. Over 63 career NFL games, Phillips has posted 28 sacks, 32 tackles for loss, 68 quarterback hits and 11 pass defenses.

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Commanders Predicted to Sign Edge Rusher Jaelan Phillips

If the Eagles ultimately lose Phillips, it won’t be surprising but still disappointing. Should Phillips remain in the NFC East, though, with a rival such as the Commanders, that will be a difficult blow.

The Commanders should be in the market for edge rushers. While Washington was middle of the road in sacks last season, the team’s top three pass rushers from a sack perspective were at least 28 years old.

Of the team’s top five defenders in sacks during 2025, three of them will be older than 30. Furthermore, two of them are older unrestricted free agents — Von Miller and Bobby Wagner.

The Commanders need a younger upgrade along the edge. Even with his injury past, Phillips fits that description.

In 17 games with the Eagles and Dolphins last season, Phillips posted five sacks with seven tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits. He also had four pass defenses.

The 2025 campaign was his first fully healthy since 2022. Phillips missed 22 games from 2023-24 because of Achilles and knee injuries.

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Projecting 2026 NFL Free Agency Value for Phillips

Even the ESPN insiders are split on what the Eagles might do with Phillips this offseason.

While Graziano predicted the edge rusher to leave for Washington, ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote he expected the Eagles to “make a push” to re-sign Phillips.

Most analysts, though, like Graziano, see a team needing to make a major commitment to the edge rusher to land him in free agency. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper projected Phillips’s worth to be a 4-year, $98 million deal.

That would pay the edge rusher $24.5 million on an average annual basis.

Spotrac had a lower projection, but still had Phillips’ worth at $52.02 million on a 3-year deal.

As of March 7, the Eagles have $13.7 million in cap space. That’s significantly less than the Commanders, who have $83.3 million in space.

According to Spotrac, Washington has the fourth-most cap space in the league.

Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb