With no surprise the start of NFL free agency started right away at the noon opening window and even had some dramatics with X being down for a good portion of the start of the free agent frenzy. Nonetheless, an avalanche of moves barreled in on the opening day of the legal tampering period and former Eagles Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, and Isaiah Rodgers have officially found new homes while Darius Slay has permission to speak with other teams and apparently has one suitor.
Milton Williams, 4-years, $104 million, New England Patriots
Williams was viewed as one of the top overall free agents to start the offseason and he was sought after accordingly. Originally, it was reported that Williams signed a deal with the Carolina Panthers, but then other reports trickled in saying teams like Arizona, Minnesota and New England were making last second pushes for the pass rusher with the Patriots ultimately winning the sweepstakes.
The defensive tackle had five sacks this season but a career-best 40 quarterback pressures per Pro Football Focus. He also ranked 4th in PFF’s pass rush win rate for interior defensive lineman with an 17.5% clip.
The money is quite steep for Williams who is primarily a pass rusher. Not only does he get $66 million guaranteed, but he also becomes the highest paid Patriot in franchise history making $26-million a year. Tom Brady made $25 million per year with the team.
Nonetheless, Williams put together a career year to make life changing money and will now play for defensive minded head coach Mike Vrabel. The Eagles will receive a 2026 third round compensatory pick for losing Williams who they drafted in the third round of the 2021 Draft out of Louisiana Tech.
Josh Sweat, 4-year, $76.4 million, Arizona Cardinals
Another player who was anticipated to look and receive a big contract not from the Eagles was Sweat. He is heading out west to reunite with Jonathan Gannon in the desert. Sweat, who was a 4th round pick by Philadelphia out of Florida State in 2018, put together a solid campaign, recording eight sacks, but opened eyes in Super Bowl LIX. The pass rusher was a one-man wrecking ball, having seven quarterback pressures against Patrick Mahomes while adding 2.5 sacks in the game. He was in the conversation to be a potential candidate for Super Bowl MVP.
Sweat played seven years with the Eagles, with 2021 and 2022 being his best seasons. In 2021, he was named to the Pro Bowl and in 2022 he started in all 16 regular season games and posted a career-high 11 sacks. Those 11 sacks came in the final year of Jonathan Gannon’s tenure as Eagles’ defensive coordinator where they lost in Super Bowl LVII to the Chiefs. Sweat will be a much needed upgrade for a Cardinals defense that lacked the ability to pass the rusher or set the edge in the run.
The Eagles are expected to receive a 2026 fourth round compensatory pick because of the signing.
Darius Slay, Reportedly Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Love him or hate him, Slay will go down as one of the best cornerbacks in franchise history. It was reported on Monday that the veteran is expected to sign with the Steelers after the Eagles designated him at a post-June 1 cut, one of two that each NFL team gets to utilize. Philadelphia made the decision to make cap room as it saves the team $4.3 million against the 2025 cap and $17.8 million in 2026.
The six-time Pro Bowler was acquired by the Eagles in 2020 for a third and fifth round pick in that year’s draft and Slay provided strong leadership and production from the cornerback position when the Eagles were in desperate need. He played a vital role in helping the Eagles win their second Super Bowl playing opposite of stud rookie Quinyon Mitchell as the duo combined to become one of the top cornerback duos in the league in 2024.
The 34-year-old played in 74 regular season games and started in 73 with the Eagles and had nine interceptions across his five-year tenure. Slay’s wife, who became a favorite with fans tweeted just two words to describe what she was feeling when the team announced they would be moving on from the veteran. Slay indicated he wanted to play one more year after the Super Bowl win and said he would prefer to stay with the Eagles, but he will do a Keystone State swap and play for the black and gold next season.
Isaiah Rodgers, 2-year, $15-million, Minnesota Vikings
Rodgers was the first Eagle to come off the board, inking a two-year deal with the Vikings. The deal includes $8 million guaranteed for the cornerback who was signed by Philadelphia in August of 2023 but had to sit out the entire season due to violating the league’s gambling policy in June of that year.
The UMass product was a depth player for the Eagles in a talented cornerbacks room but did come up with a key fumble recovery in the NFC Division Round game against the Rams. Just 27-years-old, Rodgers will look to be a piece to build on for the Vikings in their secondary. In his career, Rodgers has played in 60 games, making 13 starts with three interceptions with the Colts and Eagles
The lone big name left that was a major part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl winning team is left tackle Mehki Becton. Many would like to have the Eagles resign the offensive lineman who had a career-year after fizzling out with the New York Jets as the 11th overall pick in 2020. Will Howie Roseman continue to practice what he preached at the combine with his patience and work a deal? Time will tell.
Kenny Pickett traded to Browns for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 5th round pick
In a bit of a surprising move, the Eagles traded away Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth round pick and a developmental QB in Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Pickett was traded along with a fourth-round pick from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia last offseason in exchange for a third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks. He started one game for the Eagles but played in five games for them last season. Pickett threw for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 60%. This move now opens the door for QB Tanner McKee to be the team’s unquestioned backup quarterback to Jalen Hurts.
Oren Burks, 2-year, $5 million, Cincinnati Bengals
Another name that some thought might stay with the Eagles, Burks opted to head to the AFC North and join the Bengals on Monday night. Burks burst onto the scene filling in for Nakobe Dean after getting injured in the Wild Card Round against the Packers. Burks had 25 tackles, three for a loss, a sack and two quarterback hits in the playoffs.
Turning 30 later this month, Burks will now play for his fourth team to start his eighth year in the league after being drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2018 draft. Spending his first four years with Green Bay playing in 50 games and making seven starts, he signed a two-year deal with San Francisco in 2022.
He was a starter for the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII where they lost to Kansas City in overtime 25-22. Burks leaving is another hit to the Eagles top-ranked defense that dominated Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to win the team’s second Super Bowl.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
