Cut Jake Elliott: The Eagles Can't Afford a Bottom-Five Kicker at $6 Million

There's a simple rule in professional football: if your kicker is a bottom-five player at his position for two consecutive years, he's not your kicker anymore. Jake Elliott has been exactly that — bottom five in 2024, bottom five in 2025 — and the Eagles are paying him $6 million a year for the privilege of watching field goals sail wide.

Cut him. Bring in competition. Move on. This isn't complicated.

The Nostalgia Trap

Eagles fans still remember the 61-yard bomb that beat the Giants in Elliott's rookie year. That was 2017. It's 2026. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but it doesn't win football games. The Jake Elliott who hit that kick and the Jake Elliott who's been shanking field goals for two straight seasons are not the same player.

Look at what Baltimore did with Justin Tucker — arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history. When Tucker started falling apart, the Ravens moved on. They didn't let sentiment cloud their judgment. Tucker was running out of steam, and the organization had the clarity to acknowledge it. If Baltimore can move on from the GOAT kicker, Philadelphia can move on from a guy who's been below replacement level.

The Cap Argument

Cutting Elliott won't save a massive amount of cap space — this isn't an A.J. Brown trade scenario. But $6 million for a liability is $6 million that could go toward an offensive lineman, a depth piece, or even just rolling into next year's cap. Every dollar matters when you're trying to extend Jalen Carter and potentially sign Bradley Chubb.

More importantly, kicker is one of the easiest positions to replace. The Rams changed their kicker mid-season and it worked out fine. There are capable kickers available every offseason. You don't need to draft one in the first round. You just need someone who can make the kicks that Elliott has been missing.

Games Are Won in the Margins

In a season where the Eagles might be projected for 7-11 wins depending on who you ask, every game matters. And kickers decide close games. A missed field goal in a three-point loss is the difference between a playoff berth and watching from the couch. The Eagles can't afford to keep trotting out a guy they don't trust from 45 yards.

At minimum, bring in real competition. Not a camp body — a legitimate challenger who can push Elliott or replace him. If Elliott rises to the challenge and returns to form, great. But if he's the same kicker he's been for two years, you need a contingency plan that's already in the building.

The Eagles are making sweeping changes to their coaching staff and potentially their offensive philosophy. They're talking about trading their best receiver. They're shifting to a spread offense. But they're going to keep the kicker who can't make kicks? That's the one thing they won't change? Come on. Elliott's time in Philadelphia should be over. Two years of bottom-five production at $6 million a year is two years too many.

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