The Eagles Have 24 Players in Contract Years — Here's How Howie Should Prioritize Them
With 24 players entering the final year of their deals, the Eagles face a salary cap chess match that will define the next three years. Here's the priority list Howie Roseman needs to follow.
The Eagles Have 24 Players in Contract Years — Here's How Howie Should Prioritize Them
The Philadelphia Eagles just navigated free agency with $32.9 million in cap space remaining, and Howie Roseman managed to patch several holes without mortgaging the future. But here's the number that should keep the front office up at night: 24 players on this roster are entering the final year of their contracts.
That's not a roster. That's a ticking clock.
The Untouchables: Carter and Mitchell Come First
Let's cut through the noise. There are exactly two players on this list who should get whatever they want, whenever they want it: Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell.
Carter just earned a three-year, $78 million extension for his running mate Jordan Davis — and Carter is the better player. The 2023 ninth overall pick has been a force since day one, collapsing pockets from the interior and stuffing the run at the point of attack. The Eagles can exercise his fifth-year option to buy time, but make no mistake — Carter is a $25-plus million per year player, and that number is only going up.
Mitchell is a different animal. The 2024 first-rounder locked down opposing receivers as a rookie and looked like a legitimate CB1 from Week 1. With Cooper DeJean also needing a deal in 2027, the Eagles have a narrow window to lock in Mitchell before the cornerback market explodes even further. Every month they wait costs money.
Nolan Smith's fifth-year option is available too, and the Eagles should exercise it, but his extension priority sits below Carter and Mitchell. Smith is a good player. Those two are foundational ones.
The One-Year Gambles That Could Pay Off Big
Howie Roseman loaded up on one-year deals this offseason, and the most fascinating is Riq Woolen. The former Seahawks corner brings 6-foot-4 length and legitimate ball-hawking ability to a secondary that just lost Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown. If Woolen returns to his 2022 rookie form — six interceptions, elite press coverage — he's looking at $15-plus million per year on the open market next March.
That's either a massive win for the Eagles if they can re-sign him at a reasonable number, or a high compensatory pick if he walks. Either way, Roseman structured it so the Eagles can't lose.
Arnold Ebiketie is another smart one-year bet. The former Falcons edge rusher has 16.5 sacks over four seasons in Atlanta despite starting only 12 games. After losing Jaelan Phillips to Carolina's absurd four-year, $120 million deal — rightfully not matched — the Eagles need pass rush help. Ebiketie at $5-6 million for one year is the kind of move that separates smart front offices from desperate ones.
Andy Dalton's acquisition via trade with Carolina addresses the backup quarterback situation, though it likely signals the end for Tanner McKee in Philadelphia. At $4 million with $2 million guaranteed, Dalton is a known commodity behind Jalen Hurts.
The Painful Goodbye: Why Dean and Blankenship Had to Go
Losing Nakobe Dean hurts. There's no sugarcoating it. Dean was a tone-setter, a leader, and Vic Fangio's preferred linebacker over first-round pick Jihaad Campbell. But at three years and $36 million from the Raiders, the Eagles couldn't justify that number for a player with a pectoral injury coming into the league, a Lisfranc in 2023, a torn patellar tendon in 2024, and a hamstring issue in 2025.
The Eagles have Campbell, and they need to trust the investment. Sometimes the smart move and the popular move are different things.
Blankenship's departure is easier to stomach. Four seasons of inconsistency, capped by a rough playoff performance against the 49ers with costly mental errors, made him expendable. The safety market is deep in this draft class, and the Eagles pick at 23 — plenty of capital to find a long-term answer.
The Draft Has to Deliver
Speaking of pick 23, the Eagles' needs are clear: edge rusher, safety, and potentially right tackle if they're thinking about Lane Johnson's succession plan as he approaches 36. Some mock drafts have them taking a wide receiver like Luther Lemon from Oregon if the A.J. Brown trade rumors materialize, but edge and safety feel more urgent.
The loss of Phillips, Dean, Blankenship, and Brown (Sydney, not A.J. — though that situation bears monitoring too) means this defense lost significant contributors. The draft needs to replenish, not just supplement.
The Bottom Line
Howie Roseman's offseason strategy is clear: stay flexible, don't overpay, and let the compensatory pick formula work in your favor. Phillips at $30 million per year almost certainly qualifies for a third-round comp pick. Dean might net one too. That's future draft capital replacing current-year spending.
But flexibility only matters if you spend it wisely. The priority list should be crystal clear: Carter extension first, Mitchell extension second, draft edge and safety in April, and evaluate the one-year guys by November.
Twenty-four players in contract years means 24 decisions. The Eagles don't need to get all of them right. But they absolutely cannot miss on the top three.
The next 12 months will tell us whether this is a team building a dynasty or one that peaked in 2024. Roseman's track record says trust the process. The contract clock says hurry up.
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