NFL free agency doesn’t officially start until Wednesday, but that didn’t stop the rest of the league from poaching members of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense during Monday’s “legal tampering” period. Here’s who they are about to lose.
Milton Williams
Williams had four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble (which he recovered) in Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX. A third-round pick in 2021, Williams entered the offseason as the top-rated free agent on NFL.com
The 25-year-old tackle had a personal-best five sacks while playing a career-high 48% of defensive snaps in 2024 and although he posted a career-low 24 tackles last season, New England had no problem offering him a four-year, $104M contract.
Once official, Williams’ deal will make him the NFL’s third-highest-paid interior defender behind Kansas City’s Chris Jones ($31.7M per year) and the Raiders’ Christian Wilkins ($27.5M).
Josh Sweat
The 27-year-old edge-rusher led Philadelphia with eight sacks in the regular season with 2.5 more in the Super Bowl. Sweat joined the team as a fourth-round pick in 2018 and put up 43 sacks in seven years with the team.
Sweat posted career marks in tackles (48) and sacks (11) while Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon served as the team’s defensive coordinator in 2022, so it’s no surprise to see the pair reunite in Arizona.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Sweat can expect to sign a four-year, $76M deal with $41M in guaranteed money on Wednesday, a bargain compared to recent deals for the Raiders Maxx Crosby (three years, $106.5M) and the Browns’ Myles Garrett (four years, $160M).
Isaiah Rodgers
The Eagles thought enough of Rodgers to sign him to a contract in 2023, knowing he’d miss the entire season while suspended for gambling violations committed while a member of the Colts.
Playing behind a Pro Bowler like Darius Slay and standout rookies like DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell in 2024, Rodgers played only 36% of the team’s defensive snaps, but now that Slay has been released, the team is dangerously thin at cornerback.
The former sixth-round pick agreed to a two-year, $15M contract with the Vikings on Monday, leaving the team with little-used players like Eli Ricks, Kelee Ringo and Tariq Castro-Fields behind Mitchell and DeJean.
Rodgers had a single pass defended with no tackles in last month’s Super Bowl but that didn’t stop him from commemorating the event with a large tattoo featuring the Lombardi trophy, the Super Bowl LIX emblem, the game’s final score and his jersey number on his calf.
He did stop short of adding the Eagles logo, something his new Vikings teammates should appreciate.
