It’s been a long time since the [Philadelphia Eagles](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/philadelphia-eagles) used the franchise tag on a player. The last time they did was way back in 2012 with wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
So, it’s certainly not something that the Eagles do often. However, perhaps this offseason could be an exception.
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips was recently [named a potential franchise tag candidate](https://www.pff.com/news/2026-franchise-tag-candidates-for-all-32-nfl-teams?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=PFF_FM_Brand_Search_Purchase_01302026#PHI) for the Eagles by Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus.
The Eagles were just one of 10 teams with a tag candidate listed, as they’re not especially common across the league. Only two players were tagged across the league’s landscape in 2025, while nine were tagged in 2024.
From Locker:
> _“The odds that Phillips would attain the franchise tag given his injury history are slimmer, plus that general manager Howie Roseman has deployed it only one time since 2010. But the 26-year-old Phillips, the 14th\-best player on the market, would be a difficult loss for Philadelphia if he leaves the building considering the team’s need at edge rusher.”_
With Phillips, the logic of why the Eagles might want to tag him is pretty simple. If they don’t feel comfortable making a long-term commitment to him, but want to keep him around for another year, at least, perhaps they would throw the tag on him. After trading a third-round pick for him in November, it makes sense that the Eagles wouldn't want to lose him for nothing in free agency.
Would Phillips be happy about that? No, probably not. Players don’t typically like getting tagged because it prevents them for getting long-term security on a deal.
If a player gets hurt while playing under the tag, it could seriously impact that player’s earning potential moving forward. But, football is a business at the end of the day, and the Eagles have the right to deploy the tag if they so choose.
There’s also the chance that the Eagles could deploy the tag and still reach some sort of a long-term deal with Phillips, like they did with Jackson back in 2012.
With free agency rapidly approaching, Phillips' future in Philadelphia is definitely something to keep an eye on.
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