Nick Sirianni
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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
The Philadelphia Eagles have made a habit of making so few mistakes when it comes to free agency or big-time contract extensions that they’re now the gold standard in both departments.
The 2026 free agency cycle was a master class in such moves, with the Eagles signing 10 free agents, with only 1 of them receiving anything more than a 1-year contract — punter Braden Mann with a lucrative 4-year, $14 million contract extension.
The Eagles may have also made the low-key best free-agent signing in the NFL by signing Super Bowl champion cornerback Riq Woolen away from the Seattle Seahawks on a 1-year, $15 million contract.
It’s why Pro Football Focus singled out the Eagles for some high praise in listing the “Most Favorite and Least Favorite” free-agent signings for all 32 NFL teams and, in an interesting twist, the Eagles got the rarely-seen “N/A” grade for their least favorite signing … because there just wasn’t 1 to point out.
“Despite signing some outsiders and re-signing their own players, the Eagles don’t seem to have overpaid for anyone,” PFF’s Zolton Buday wrote.
Riq Woolen Signing Singled Out by ESPN
ESPN’s Seth Walder to gave the Eagles an “A” grade for signing Woolen.
“This deal is great for the Eagles because it fills a key need, but also because of the price,” Walder wrote. “Woolen was widely viewed as being among the best outside corners in the class alongside players such as Jaylen Watson (who is getting a three-year deal at $17 million per year) and Alontae Taylor (three years at $60 million).”
Eagles Created NFL’s Elite Secondary Trio
We may not fully understand how incredible it’s going to be to watch the Eagles play defense this season. It’s a year that could end up being defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s next — and maybe final — masterpiece.
Nowhere will that be more pronounced than at cornerback. The Eagles already return 2 NFL All-Pros in outside cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and slot cornerback Cooper DeJean — both of whom will be eligible for massive contract extensions following the 2026 season.
“Over the past four seasons, among outside corners with at least 500 coverage snaps, do you know who allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap?” Walder wrote. “Woolen, at 0.7, was one spot ahead of new teammate Quinyon Mitchell and two spots ahead of 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II … Good luck, opposing receivers.”
While Mitchell and DeJean are both playing for big money, so is Woolen, who could very well land a deal that’s in line with the 3-year, $60 million contract he originally thought he was going to get after winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in February.
“(Woolen) is a supremely talented player,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said after the signing. “Does he have to be more consistent to hit that at times? For sure. There’s a reason that a supremely talented player was available. He knows that. I think we have some insight into who the person is …We like to get really talented guys that we think are good people that maybe have not had the caliber of year that they’re capable of. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but we thought, based on where we were and the price point, that was a good fit for both sides.”