Philadelphia Eagles

5 Eagles Leaving Philadelphia in the New Year – Including Nick Sirianni

Posted on by newssite

The Philadelphia Eagles are riding high and are headed to the playoffs with Super Bowl aspirations. This is a make-or-break postseason for a couple of key Eagles. Another failure in the playoffs could signal the end for a couple of members of the team.

Regardless of what happens in the postseason, however, there are a couple of names that will no longer be in Philadelphia past the 2025 calendar year. Whether it is via free agency, retirement, or a trade, these Eagles will likely depart at some point in 2025.

1. Avonte Maddox

After an injury-riddled 2023 season, Avonte Maddox was released by the Eagles in the offseason. He had only appeared in four games with the team with a pectoral injury and in those appearances, he wasn’t particularly effective. Just when Eagles fans thought that the veteran defender’s time in Philadelphia was over, the team re-signed him a month later.

Not only did Maddox return to Philadelphia unexpectedly, but he also began the season as a big part of the defense. After starting in two of the first four games of the season and playing 90% of defensive snaps in three out of those four games, Maddox was quickly demoted in favor of rookie Cooper DeJean.

The coveted rookie thrived in his new role as a slot cornerback and Maddox was reduced to a backup role. It is no coincidence that the Eagles went on their huge winning streak immediately after and became one of the best defenses in the league.

Maddox is currently the worst-graded Eagles defender per PFF. His 48.6 grade ranks as the 115th among 119 qualified players in his position. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it’s hard to see him coming back for his eighth season with the organization.

2. Brandon Graham

This one is one Eagles fans least want to see. The Super Bowl champ and a franchise icon who has played the most games in Eagles history, Brandon Graham, has announced that the 2024 season would be his last.

Some Eagles fans are still holding out hope that Graham could return on a one-year deal like he has been doing the past couple of years. However, the star defensive end has consistently reiterated his desire to hang his cleats after the season, even after his triceps injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Graham was showing no signs of decline prior to his injury. He was playing a higher percentage of defensive snaps than the past three seasons and making a big impact on the pass rush. Through 11 games, he had 3.5 sacks, seven QB hits, a forced fumble, and six tackles for loss while receiving the highest PFF grade among all Philly’s edge defenders.

It is a shame that Graham will not be able to be out on the field in his last postseason run. He is still going to continue to be a consummate professional and lead this team from the sidelines. Every Eagles fan would have loved to have their former Pro Bowler veteran out there but it may be the end of the road for Graham after 15 years and over 200 games with the franchise. Let’s hope his final season in the NFL ends with another Super Bowl win.

3. Jahan Dotson

When the Eagles traded for Dotson before the season, it was widely considered a steal. The former Penn State standout had shown intriguing flashes in Washington for the first two seasons of his career. In a better offensive ecosystem, he would look much better.

That proved to not be the case pretty early in Dotson’s time in Philadelphia. Despite being firmly established in his role as the WR3, Dotson never got going. Even during the early-season absences of DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown, the 24-year-old wideout failed to make an impact.

In Week 4, he was the WR1 against the Bucs due to Smith and Brown’s injuries. He played 49 offensive snaps but finished the game with four targets, two receptions, and 11 yards.

That wasn’t an anomaly. For the entire season, Dotson never had more than two catches in any game. In 15 games, he has 12 catches for 122 yards and no touchdowns. Compared to his back-to-back 500+ yard seasons with the Commanders, that is a huge step back.

PFF isn’t too kind to Dotson’s production either. His 51.5 offensive grade ranks as 119th among 124 qualified wide receivers.

Dotson is under contract for next season, however, he is a clear cut or trade candidate for the Eagles. WR3 will almost certainly be a spot GM Howie Roseman will look to upgrade in the offseason.

4. Bryce Huff

Huff was one of the biggest offseason acquisitions for the Eagles. After a breakout season with the Jets, Huff signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Eagles. In the first year of that deal, Huff made it pretty clear that the signing was a mistake.

The Eagles took a massive step forward on the defensive side of the ball this season. After finishing as a bottom-three defensive unit in 2023, they are a top-five defense this season. On PFF, they are the top-ranked defense in the NFL and have an elite pass rush and coverage grades.

This success had very little to do with Huff, however, In fact, the defense reached new heights since the former Jet suffered an injury in November.

Huff was placed on the injured reserve list after Week 11 with a wrist injury. He hasn’t played since and whether he will be a part of the rotation in the postseason remains to be seen as his defensive snaps were decreasing well before his injury.

During Huff’s absence, rookie Jalyx Hunt has stepped into a bigger role and has shown flashes so far. In Week 16, he played a season-high 37 snaps, more than Huff has in any game this season. It’s hard to see Huff take his snaps back from the third-round pick in the postseason.

Philadelphia would only free up $1.17 million in cap space with a post-June 1 trade of the 26-year-old but if they can get anything of value for the disappointing defensive end, they will probably seriously consider it.

5. Nick Sirianni

Sirianni’s contract runs through the end of the 2025 season. To avoid putting him in a lame duck situation, the Eagles would have to give him a contract extension after this season. How interested the Eagles management will be in doing so will depend on how far the team goes this postseason.

It’s hard to argue that Sirianni hasn’t been a success as the Eagles head coach. He is in the midst of leading Philadelphia to its fourth straight winning season and playoffs, including a Super Bowl appearance. Despite constantly being criticized, Sirianni has been getting results.

Sirianni is in a difficult situation as the Eagles head coach. When he is winning, his success is often attributed to the elite talent level of the roster. When he loses, the failure always falls on him.

At times, Sirianni certainly deserved a ton of blame. The epic collapse in the second half of the 2023 season was unacceptable. The locker room atmosphere and team chemistry have sometimes been less than ideal. But the Eagles have been a top-ten offensive unit for the past three seasons under him and it’s hard to argue against a 46-20 record.

All that being said, if the Eagles don’t make it past the first round, Sirianni will presumably not get a contract extension. If the team doesn’t feel like he is the right coach for this team going forward, they will likely replace him in the offseason.

Posts in same category: