Why did the Eagles let this star walk in free agency? GM explains
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman understands why Jaelan Phillips walked in free agency to the Carolina Panthers.
PHOENIX — Jaelan Phillips left the Philadelphia Eagles and became the NFL’s highest-paid free agent. And Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is at peace with that. Roseman was asked on Sunday at the NFL owners meetings about losing Phillips, who inked a four-year, $120 million contract with the Carolina Panthers a few weeks ago.
And Roseman was pretty blunt. “Some of the negatives to letting your players walk in free agency is ... there are highest bidders,” Roseman said at the Arizona Biltmore hotel.
“At some point, you’ve got to have parameters of what you would do, what you wouldn’t do. ” Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said recently that the Eagles were “trying hard” to keep Phillips. There were even reports of “optimism” the night before free agency started that Roseman would get a deal done.
But clearly, Roseman and the Eagles wouldn’t match what Carolina was willing to pay. Phillips’ $120 million deal with an average annual salary of $30 million makes him the highest-paid free agent of the offseason. His $80 million guaranteed ranked third behind only Colts receiver Alec Pierce ($84 million) and Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum ($81 million).