Bryce Huff
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Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Bryce Huff.
One of the most high-profile free agent busts in recent Philadelphia Eagles history might be looking for a new home this offseason.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell put San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Bryce Huff on its list of likely salary cap casualties this offseason.
Huff signed a 3-year, $51.1 million free agent contract with the Eagles before the 2024 season, but found himself relegated to the bench behind Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith as his team rolled to a Super Bowl win.
The Eagles traded Huff to the 49ers for a conditional 2026 5th round pick in June 2025.
Huff was on the field when the 49ers upset the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round in Philadelphia. He had 30 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 6 TFL, and 15 QB hits in his 1st season in San Francisco.
“Huff is still a productive player, but he’s owed $16.9 million (in 2026) by the 49ers, who might need to put that money elsewhere,” Barnwell wrote on Monday. “Huff is small and unimposing enough for opponents to attack him in the run game, but he’s fast around the edge and even has surprising power at times as a pass rusher. A reunion with former Jets and 49ers coach Robert Saleh might be in the cards, even after the Titans agreed to acquire fellow ex-Jets edge Jermaine Johnson via trade last week.”
Huff Lit Into Eagles Following Trade
Following the trade, Huff went off on the Eagles during an interview with The SFNiners YouTube Channel.
In San Francisco, Huff was reunited with his head coach on the New York Jets with defensive coordinator Saleh, who was fired just 5 games into the 2024 season.
“There’s a plethora of things that went down,” Huff said. “I don’t wanna get into specifics. Being in the league for five years, I kinda knew what it felt like for me to be in a good situation. I gotta look out for myself and do what I think is best. I kind of knew where it was headed fairly early on into the season, probably even training camp if I’m being honest. So when everything popped off, it was just like ‘Yeah, all right let’s get to work.’”
Huff, who complained about being uncomfortable in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme, was a non-factor almost from the moment he walked through the door in Philadelphia.
“Huff had 10.5 sacks playing for Saleh with the Jets in 2024 and turned that into a three-year contract with the Eagles, but he never found a groove during his lone season in Philadelphia,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on July 7. “Moving from playing with his hand on the ground to standing up on the edge proved to be a bad fit and he wound up being on the inactive list for the team’s Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.”
Eagles’ Decision to Pay Huff Backfired
The sad part about Huff’s massive contract, which included $34 million in guaranteed money, is that it probably came at the expense of keeping Sweat in Philadelphia.
Sweat spent the 2024 season on a 1-year, $10 million contract, balled out of his mind, led the Eagles in sacks and then cashed in with a 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.