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With Super Bowl 59 officially in the bag, the Philadelphia Eagles now find themselves in the position to defend their Lombardi Trophy for the second time in eight years.
On one hand, there are 31 other teams that would love to be in that situation, especially the Kansas City Chiefs, who turned in a brutal effort in the “Big Game,” but the Eagles can't just roll into 2025 with a largely intact roster for their defense, as they do have a number of quality players who will be free agents next month, including Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, who could earn contract offers north of Philadelphia's means.
Fortunately, Howie Roseman has a number of avenues to keep his team competitive, including free agency, the draft, and trade, with some very interesting options potentially on the block this spring.
With a big need at edge rusher versus a market headlined largely by their own talent, the Eagles could look to the AFC to help secure a defensive end/outside linebacker to keep Vic Fangio's rush potent ahead of one of the most highly anticipated seasons in Philadelphia history.
1. Maxx Crosby
If the Eagles are going to make a big trade at a position of need this offseason, the perfect player to pursue is none other than Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
Now sure, Crosby isn't the biggest name on the proverbial trade block, and he won't earn as many headlines if that other defensive end is moved this offseason, but that doesn't mean the Raiders' rusher is a slouch by any means. If anything, his slightly lower price tag could make him a better fit in Philadelphia overall, as does his on-field performance.
Standing 6-foot-5, 255 pounds with long arms and a relentless motor, Crosby has transformed himself from a fourth-round pick out of non-NFL incubator Eartner Michigan into one of the better edges in the NFL. He's averaged nearly ten sacks per season over his NFL career, leading the NFL in tackles for loss twice over his career, and has made it into the Pro Bowl four times as a result.
And the best part? Crosby is doing it all while playing an absolute ton of defensive snaps.
That's right, while most teams – but, crucially enough, not Vic Fangio's Eagles defense – often rotate their defensive linemen to keep their rushers fresh, Crosby almost never leaves the field for the Raiders, logging at least 900 defensive snaps in four of the last five season, while missing just three percent of LV's defensive snaps in 2024. Because he never leaves the field, Crosby has become a good run defender to go with his pass-rushing abilities, and as a result, he's become a fan favorite in Las Vegas for putting it all on the line for his team weekly.
Would it be weird to trade for a player who literally has his current team's logo tattooed on his body? Sure, maybe a little bit, but if the Eagles want to add one more elite piece to their defense, Crosby fits the Fangio ideology of remaining on the field at all times while effective against both the run and the pass. At a cap hit to Philadelphia of just $17,786,750 million if traded with a pre-June 1st designation following Las Vegas taking on a dead cap hit of $10,202,500, according to Over The Cap, the Eagles would be paying Crosby less than what Sweat will certainly earn in free agency, which is an incredible upgrade by any quantifiable metric.
2. Myles Garrett
Speaking of the “biggest name on the proverbial trade block,” if the Eagles want to make the ultimate swing at a defensive gamechanger, Myles Garrett is the name to pursue.
Originally drafted first overall out of Texas A&M in 2017, Garrett has been arguably the most dominant defensive player in the NFL over his run in the league, but after eight years of accomplishing every individual accomplishment one can muster, he's looking for some team success as well, as he noted in his public statement on the trade request.
“As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever. My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today,” Garrett wrote.
“While I've loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won't allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl. With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.”
Now, if Garrett wants to win a Super Bowl, being traded to the now-Super Bowl Champions is a pretty good way to get that done. The Eagles have an elite defensive tackle in Jalen Carter and a very exciting young defensive end in Nolan Smith, but they don't have much-proven depth behind that duo if both Sweat and Milton leave in free agency, assuming Bryce Huff doesn't become a certified player after being largely MIA in 2024.
Would a deal for Garrett be expensive? Yes, two first-round picks is probably the minimum needed to get a deal done for the 29-year-old one-man wrecking crew, and he will likely demand a new contract north of his current deal, which is already an incredible $125 million over five years. Now granted, Garrett is probably worth that much, as, again, he is one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position, but historically, when a team gives up that many assets in a deal, it can impact depth down the line, even for a front office like the Eagles who are among the best in the NFL at securing talent from the college ranks.
Should the Eagles pursue Garrett? Sure, but if the price is over twice as high as Crosby's, the return might not be twice as great on the field.
Bonus: Trade Kenny Pickett to the New Orleans Saints
While the Eagles could look to the trade market to fill their need at the defensive end position, they have a player or two that they could move if the price and opportunity are right, including backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who has plenty of experience playing under soon-to-be-New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Originally acquired from the Steelers in a trade that sent three picks, a 2024 third-round pick, and two 2025 seventh-round picks to Pittsburgh in exchange for Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick, Pickett appeared in five games with one start in 2024 plus an appearance in the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl for the final drive of the game. Pickett played pretty well against the Washington Commanders before suffering a rib injury and looked like a natural slinging passes for Moore's offense.
With most fans preferring third-year quarterback Tanner McKee over the Pitt product anyway, sending Pickett to serve as a young-ish option for the Saints could be a fantastic use of assets for Philadelphia, as it would allow the team to use whatever Day 3 draft capital they land to secure their next developmental arm, with someone like Oregon's Dillon Gabriel feeling like a natural fit if he falls that far.
