A March Primer On Where The Eagles Stand In Advance Of Free Agency

The calendar has officially turned to March and we're just over a week away from the legal negotiating period in advance of the NFL's new league year beginning on March 11.

The major issues in Eagles GM Howie Roseman's in-box remain the futures of All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown and ascending edge defender Jaelan Phillips.

The latter is more straight forward and will be determined by Phillips' market in free agency, which could reach over $25 million. The Eagles will have a walkaway number and the failure to secure a deal with Phillips would reverberate throughout Philadelphia's offseason plans. What we can tell you is that Roseman has budgeted significantly for the position.

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Eagles superstar WR A.J. Brown during 2025 minicamp. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

Brown is the headliner for obvious reasons and his situation is in a holding pattern because it's far stickier as a big-money player under contract who could use a fresh start.

To little surprise the New England Patriots have checked in with the Eagles about trading for the three-time second-team All-Pro receiver but there has been no substantial movement toward completing a deal which is believed to be tied to Roseman's asking price, according to an NFL source.

The Boston Herald went as far to report that the Pats feel the Eagles' current demands are "unserious."

The belief around the league is that Roseman is asking for a first-round pick and another premium pick to move Brown.

The structure of Brown's current contract complicates the talks dramatically for Philadelphia.

Dealing Brown before June 1 would result in dead money being accelerated to the 2026 salary cap and the Eagles aren't swimming with room to begin with. A post-June 1 trade would actually free up $7 million in cap space for the Eagles, but waiting until then means teams have already budgeted the majority of their resources so it isn't the best time develop the kind of leverage for a star player in his prime Roseman is trying to generate right now.

Roseman's history indicates patience until fair value (which will be less than a first and another Day 2 pick) is achieved. However, that approach risks further alienation if Brown would prefer to move on.

The other big in-house free-agent decisions facing Roseman feature three more significant starters: veteran tight end Dallas Goedert, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and safety Reed Blankenship.

Those debates are more straightforward. There is more optimism regarding a potential return for Goedert, which would be his ninth season in Philadelphia.

Set to turn 32 before the end of the 2026 season, a multiyear deal for big money is probbaly not going to be there for the veteran even after a 13-touchdown season. If Goedert is on the one-year plan (think $8M to $10M) moving forward, the thought is he'd rather return to the only professional home he's ever had even with the shift from Jason Michael to Ryan Mahaffey as tight ends coach.

A Goedert return would also give new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion a centerpiece of a tight end room that would need to be completely rebuilt without him. It also buys Roseman another year to get an heir apparent for Goedert, a process that should have already started, in what's considered a deep TE draft.

Dean is almost certain to find a new home with Jihaad Campbell waiting in the wings. However, the Eagles certainly hope that change of address isn't in Dallas where former defensive backs coach Christian Parker is the new defensive coordinator.

Blankenship is trending toward returning, especially after the 2026 safety class delivered at the Scouting Combine this past week. A two-year deal near $20 million would likely be considered fair market for Blankenship, who has grown from an undrafted free agent to a valued part of Vic Fangio's defensive plans.

The Eagles might even be able to come in a little under that for Blankenship.