Submitting one of this decade’s premier contract years, Zack Baun moved the needle in a big way toward the Eagles’ second Super Bowl championship. The Eagles are not letting the veteran linebacker return to free agency.
Baun was set to join other Eagles starters on the market, but a Wednesday payday will instead come to pass. The Eagles are keeping Baun on a three-year, $51MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Baun will have two fully guaranteed years on this contract, as Schefter adds $34MM will be locked in at signing.
The Eagles had expressed interest in keeping Baun, who in turn wanted to stay with the team he just helped to a dominant Super Bowl win. Baun will take himself off the market, with the two fully guaranteed years doing well to convince the ex-Saints draftee to pass on a second free agency go-round. Baun played a central role in the Eagles’ latest championship, and he has scored a top-market ILB deal as a result.
At $17MM per year, Baun becomes the fourth-highest-paid off-ball linebacker. He sits behind fellow first-team All-Pros Roquan Smith and Fred Warner and Bears 2023 signee Tremaine Edmunds. Baun, however, lands his contract at an older age than that trio did. Baun turned 28 late last year. The Eagles are willing to invest in his late 20s, at the very least, before reassessing. The former third-round pick gave the defending champs plenty of reason to do so.
Baun went from researching special-teamer contracts as comps to being a first-team All-Pro. The Wisconsin alum totaled 151 tackles – a cool 121 more than his previous career high – and added 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 11 TFLs. Baun’s five fumbles forced were second in the NFL, and his diving Super Bowl LIX interception effectively ensured viewers needed to brace for a blowout. Baun’s 2024 goes in the contract-year hall of fame.
This agreement comes a day after the Eagles extended Saquon Barkley, who was already under contract through 2026. The superstar running back received a significant guarantee bump after soaring past 2,000 yards. Baun did not enjoy quite that productive of a season, but his breakthrough was more surprising. This continues Howie Roseman‘s recent zags when it comes to these positions, as the Eagles had gone a while since paying a running back and a linebacker before Barkley and Baun’s arrivals.
The Eagles’ 2024 free agent class, thanks largely to these two, probably goes down as an all-timer. The team must decide on 2024 bargain buy Mekhi Becton soon, but this Baun agreement — coupled with the team already having four well-paid offensive linemen — points the mammoth guard to the market.
Two other Eagles Super Bowl standouts — Josh Sweat and Milton Williams — are en route to free agency. It would seem the Eagles made Baun the top priority here. They are not expected to retain Sweat, and Williams — with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis rostered — will probably fetch a better offer elsewhere. But the Eagles will still ensure some front-seven continuity in Baun, who will help as Nakobe Dean is likely to miss time in 2025.
Source: www.profootballrumors.com…