Why the 49ers let the Eagles beat them out for Jaelan Phillips

The Eagles were aggressive. The 49ers were not.

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The San Francisco 49ers have been rumored to be sniffing around Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips for the last couple of weeks. When the Philadelphia Eagles acquired him for a third-round pick, it could be looked as if the 49ers lost out to an NFC rival that is also making a playoff push. This could come back to hurt them.

However, there is enough reason why the 49ers did not go all-in on Phillips. 

Did the San Francisco 49ers lose out on Jaelan Phillips?

When Phillips is at his best, he is a great pass rusher. He started his career with 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons, and he is a former first-round pick. Phillips is healthy and playing good football right now, which is why he fetched a good return. 

However, right now is a key statement for Phillips when discussing his health. Phillips tore his Achilles tendon in 2023 and his ACL in 2024. He played in just nine games over that two-year sample. He has been healthy in all nine games this year, but there are lingering questions. 

The questions go back to college, when he had to transfer from UCLA to Miami because UCLA deemed him medically unable to play. So, they are not just adding a young pass rusher; they are taking on a lot of injury concern. This team, in particular, cannot do that.

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The Eagles also gave up a third-round pick, which would be a steeper price for San Francisco, which is trying to rebuild their roster on the fly with a draft and develop approach. Losing chances to improve the roster with young talent will force them to make tough decisions on their highly paid talent. Beyond that, Phillips is a free agent after this year, and the 49ers may not be willing to give him a massive extension, especially with his health history. 

The argument is that the team could trade a third-round pick for Phillips, let him walk in free agency, and then recoup a compensatory pick back. However, that requires not spending any cash in free agency yourself, Phillips playing well, and trading a pick in the upcoming draft to get a pick back in the draft over a year from now. San Francisco needs the picks this year. 

The risk is great, and the reward is not a guarantee. It makes sense why the 49ers would be hesitant to deal a third-round pick for Phillips.