The Philadelphia Eagles plan to pursue project $18 million Pass Rusher and former New York Jet, Bryce Huff. According to The Athletic, the Eagles are planning to aggressively pursue the linebacker. The Jets decided not to use the franchise tag on Huff after having a career-high 10 sacks last season. Huff signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of University of Memphis.
The Memphis product has amassed 17.5 sacks and 65 tackles over four seasons, including 29 combined tackles (19 of them solo) in 2023. The Eagles are having a busy offseason themselves, they have been shopping both Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick. All signs point that Huff may soon become an Eagle after Philadelphia would need to target a pass rusher in free agency this upcoming week. According to a source, Huff could sign a three-year deal that’s worth nearly $15 million a year with close to $30 million guaranteed.
There’s a lot of buzz going around the league, including the Los Angeles Chargers open to trading Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Huff wouldn’t get paid nearly any of those two in a future contract nor compared to T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa. However, he would be going to a potential contender who’s going to need help on the defense front. Once the tampering period begins on Monday, expect the Eagles to be the first one on the phone.
It’s now razor-thin that the Jets will be able to re-sign Huff to a new contract. There are too many suitors out there that may offer huge deals that could intrigue the free agent. Huff led the Jets in pressure percentage on all three downs.
𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: Be on the lookout for the #Eagles to “aggressively pursue” free agent pass rusher Bryce Huff, says @DMRussini
Eagles are dangling both Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat in trade talks. pic.twitter.com/GYcshrlxht
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) March 9, 2024
Philadelphia Eagles Plan To Pursue $18 Million Pass Rusher Bryce Huff
Why the Jets Probably Won’t Re-Sign Huff?
The biggest story out of this is why the Jets were so willing to give away one of the best pass rushers in the league. Huff remains one of the most impactful and consistent players on the field so it’s still questionable. According to a source, some are saying that the Jets don’t see him as a three-down edge rusher. The Jets were apparently not using him correctly into what they wanted him to be, but yet there was an uptick in usage for his services this season.
Some talking heads still remain confused about why Huff is heading to the free-agent market freeingly. However, it seems like the Jets won’t pay someone with a huge extension who is only going to be on the field for 42% of defensive snaps like he did last season. New York probably drafted Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson in the first round in two consecutive years because they didn’t plan to keep Huff.
They probably want to give McDonald an opportunity as a starter as long as he’s under his rookie contract. It seems like the Jets believe in Robert Saleh to consistently evaluate and develop defensive talent, so Huff wasn’t a part of the long-term plan.
Other Potential Team Fits
While the Eagles are being aggressive in pursuing Huff, there will be some candidates who are going to be interested. According to a source, the Washington Commanders could be another NFC East team that may be interested in Huff’s services. This could make sense after losing Chase Young and originally Sweat last season to other teams in trades. However, one team to watch out for is the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers may want to target a pass rusher since there are rumors that they’re willing to trade Joey Bosa and Mack. So the new Jim Harbaugh era will start with looking for their next linebacker if that’s the case.
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