Detailing a blueprint for Howie Roseman's 2026 offseason

Detailing a blueprint for Howie Roseman's 2026 offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After taking a step back in 2025, Howie Roseman surely will have his sights set on hoisting a third Lombardi Trophy. The blessing and the curse of his ridiculous run of success in recent drafts is he’s got to pay everyone if he wants to keep them. With that in mind, here’s a basic blueprint for how he may operate this offseason.

Exercise Nolan Smith’s fifth-year option

Smith is already under contract for 2026, but the Eagles must decide if they want to lock him in for 2027 at a projected price of $15.3 million. They picked up Jordan Davis’s option last offseason and that gamble paid off in a career year. Instead of Davis being set to cash in as a free agent next month, he’s under contract for one more year. Despite a down year riddled with injury, Smith has shown enough promise to make this commitment. 

Extend the contracts of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis

While I’m willing to kick the can down the road on Smith, the longer the Eagles wait on Carter and Davis, the more likely it is that their price goes up. Davis is already set to play on his fifth-year option for just under $13 million this coming season. The Eagles could extend Davis now and lower that cap hit. Should they simply pick up Carter’s fifth-year option for 2027, it would cost $21.6 million.

Kansas City’s Chris Jones is still the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL at nearly $32 million per season and then there’s a large gap to the next guy on the list, former Eagles Milton Williams, at $26 million per year. Carter is still only 24 and Drew Rosenhaus is his agent. His deal is going to reset the market at the position. Davis likely cracks $20 million per year. It’s a lot of money to tie into the position, but Davis and Carter are home grown studs the team wants to keep around.

Re-sign Dallas Goedert and Reed Blankenship

The Eagles essentially had Goedert take a pay cut last season, but he had no guaranteed money left on his deal and thus little bargaining power. The two sides settled on a one-year, $10 million contract and Goedert responded with arguably his best season ever. He’s now a year older and his track record suggests he’s unlikely to stay healthy for a full season. A similar one-year pact for a bigger salary would keep a key weapon in the building and they could potentially push his pending dead cap hit of $20 million another year into the future.

Blankenship offers stability in the secondary and as a former undrafted free agent, I don’t envision his market being that robust. A two-year deal for around $8-$9 million per season seems reasonable for both sides.

Play the compensatory pick game again

Look at any top free agent list on the internet and you don’t have to scroll far to find Jaelan Phillips’ name. Given the dearth of available talent and an ever-rising cap, he may end up out of the Eagles price range. As a former first-round pick who was finally healthy and flashed elite traits, Phillips is going to at least get paid on par with the four years and $76 million Josh Sweat got last offseason from the Cardinals. That loss netted the Eagles a fourth-round compensatory pick. Maybe Vic Fangio exerts his influence, and the Eagles get a deal done with Phillips, but Phillips’ price could end up pushing nine figures. Plus, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt will have to be paid soon.

While it will be hard to see him leave, Nakobe Dean could net late-round comp picks as well. Based on past deals, Dean could be looking at $10-$12 million per season. The Eagles planned and already have an in-house replacement in Jihaad Campbell to soften the blow.

Trade A.J. Brown

A happy and locked-in A.J. Brown is not even remotely on the trade block, but there are plenty of signals suggesting he wants out. One podcast appearance with Micah Parsons doesn’t erase months of Brown’s visible, verbal, and viral frustrations. If he doesn’t want to be here, the Eagles should move him. Brown’s value is still extremely high and while the $43 million dead cap hit is a bit prohibitive, a first-round pick and some sweetener could make it worth the Eagles while.

The Chargers (22nd pick), Bills (26thpick), Broncos (30th pick) and Patriots (31st pick) should have interest in landing a top-shelf weapon for their franchise quarterbacks which could create a bidding war between the AFC contenders. Trading Brown after June 1 would spread out the cap crunch for the Eagles ($19 million in 2026 plus $24 million in 2027). It’s also possible Howie Roseman would prefer the variability of draft compensation in 2027 over set-in-stone selections in 2026, so this could potentially drag out quite a while.

Trade Tanner McKee for the right price

There are a slew of teams in need of quarterbacks and not many options available. The Jets, Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals, and potentially Steelers will all be looking for new signal callers, and few will cost less in terms of cap hit than McKee. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal so this is the last time the Eagles can cash in this chip. A top-75 pick would likely get a deal done. Or Roseman could opt for a conditional pick in 2027 that improves in value based on McKee’s performance with his new team. The Jets with new OC Frank Reich seem like a solid fit.

Trade for expendable young guys nearing the end of their rookie deals

Howie Roseman loves fishing in these waters. He’s had some massive hits in the past like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and D’Andre Swift. Last year alone he swung deals for Jakorian Bennett, Sam Howell, Tank Bigsby, and Jaelan Phillips.

If A.J. Brown is dealt, there must be work done to improve the group of pass catchers. Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. is in a similar situation to Jahan Dotson two years ago. A former first-round pick taken by the previous regime. Showed promise as a rookie, then plummeted down the depth chart under the new staff. Thomas would cost more than Dotson did, but the Jaguars are a little desperate for picks after their trade up for Travis Hunter a season ago. I’d hope the 68th overall selection and future Day 2 pick could get it done. Buffalo’s Keon Coleman would also be an option at a much lesser price.

The Bears have Rome Odunze in that same category but are probably more likely to listen on Philadelphia native D.J. Moore. If Chicago was willing to foot some of the bill for his contract, Moore could make a lot of sense as a Brown replacement in midnight green.

I’d also eye backup tight ends like Pittsburgh’s Darnell Washington and Green Bay’s Luke Musgrave, who has a history with Sean Mannion. A late Day 3 pick swap could probably land one of them. 

Look at the cap casualty market

Mekhi Becton is expected to be cut by the Chargers and had his best season with the Eagles, albeit under former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. The Birds had interest in trading for Justin Fields as a backup two years ago and now he’s likely to be cut by the Jets and available on the cheap. Calvin Ridley is now 31 and coming off significant injury but is another name they were tied to in the past. He could provide some receiver depth should A.J. Brown be dealt.

Fortify the offensive line early in the draft

Even with Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson returning, the Eagles depth is sure to be the tested and they must get some younger, cheaper players on the roster. Roseman won’t force it, but landing Johnson’s eventual replacement in the first round would be an ideal outcome. Monroe Freeling, Kadyn Proctor and Blake Miller are likely options with the 23rd pick. Roseman could also double-dip and use one of his three picks on Day 2 to grab someone on the interior. Emmanuel Pregnon of Oregon and Gennings Dunker from Iowa are names to watch there.