The free agency period has barely begun but the Eagles have apparently already lost a key player.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Chicago Bears have agreed to a three-year deal with linebacker TJ Edwards.
Edwards is reportedly guaranteed $12 million on the new contract and could get nearly $20 million if he plays out his full contract with the new squad.
The deal gives Edwards a $6.5 million AAV, something higher than what the Eagles have committed to the position in recent seasons. Last season, Kyzir White and TJ Edwards combined to make under $5.5 million.
Certainly Edwards is a key cog to the defense and they will need to find a new signal caller, though a new defensive coordinator and defensive scheme means that they’d have to train someone in the new defense anyway.
With White also a free agent, the Eagles have Nakobe Dean and that’s about it at the position. They have draft picks Davion Taylor, Patrick Johnson and Kyron Johnson at the position (and new linebackers coach DJ Eliot coached two of them in college), but none of the three has shown much of anything at the NFL level to inspire any realistic confidence at this point.
In 2022, Edwards recorded 159 tackles, two sacks, seven deflected passes and a fumble recovery.
At a $6.5 million annual value, the Eagles would have been awarded the top compensatory pick in the sixth round in the 2023 draft had Edwards signed this deal last year – a solid barometer for where the pick could wind up next year if the Eagles play the compensatory pick game.
