While the stakes are high for the Philadelphia Eagles franchise, for their newly acquired trade piece, the backend of the season might mean a bit more.
CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin examined some players in the NFL who are facing the most pressure in the second half of the season. Dubin mentioned Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips as one who is looking to deliver on the pressure ahead of him.
"Phillips is already excelling for the Eagles and has the potential to earn himself a ton of money by continuing to play at that level for the next several weeks and into the playoffs. He has occasionally been an electric edge rusher throughout his career and again looks like that right now, but injury issues have plagued him going all the way back to college and it might be viewed as a significant risk to give him a long-term, big-money deal. If he plays well enough, though, teams could be willing to overlook that history."
Phillips must remove the durability narrative and show he can be a star in the NFL
After joining the Eagles during this year's trade deadline, Phillips was set to play out the final half of the season on his fifth-year option of his rookie deal. So far through two games, he's delivering as expected and as needed for Philadelphia.
The 2021 first-round pick has dealt with a slew of injuries over the last two seasons, limiting his ability to showcase his production. His 2023 season (ironically, where he was working with Vic Fangio in Miami) was on pace to be a 15-sack season.
Now healthy, it's up to Phillips to deliver during the final seven games of the 2025 season. Phillips has the potential to earn himself a ton of money if he continues his bounce-back with the Eagles, especially if he carries his play into Philadelphia's playoff run. Phillips, in two games with Philadelphia, has totaled 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, and four quarterback hits so far.
Phillips has been an electric EDGE rusher throughout his career, and when healthy, could be one of the more dynamic players at the position. However, between an Achilles injury in 2023 and a knee injury in 2024, along with injuries he suffered in college (which led to a brief retirement), Phillips may not be able to "cash out" on his next contract.
While history always plays a role in contract negotiation, NFL executives can also be blind to such issues and fall back on the mentality of "what have you done for me recently". It's unclear whether Phillips can keep up his torrid pace in the NFC East, and if he does, the NFL (specifically the Eagles) will look past his injury history.
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However, as history has shown, someone will, and maybe Eagles fans hope it's general manager Howie Roseman.