Which offseason player departure could have the greatest impact on the Eagles in 2025?
Which offseason player departure could have the greatest impact on the Eagles in 2025? Nick Shook of NFL.com named C.J. Gardner-Johnson's trade to Houston as the biggest departure that'll impact the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025
In March, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the NFL by trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans for offensive guard Kenyon Green and a fifth-round pick.
Many questioned why the Eagles would trade away a core part of their defense after winning the Super Bowl. GM Howie Roseman highlighted the situation at the NFL annual meetings.
"I think if you're just taking the C.J. move in a vacuum, it's kind of not giving the whole perspective of where we're at. And I think Chauncey did a great job for us, and both the years that he was with us — obviously, making the Super Bowl twice in two years with him as our starting safety.
It was a huge move that'll certainly impact Philadelphia and Houston.
NFL.com agreed, as Nick Shook named the dynamic safety's departure the one loss that'll impact the Eagles the most.
Gardner-Johnson has not played for the same team in consecutive years since 2020-2021, when he was on his rookie deal with the Saints, but he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl last season in his second stint with the team. Fresh off a championship, Philadelphia traded him to the Texans with budgetary concerns in mind. Moves like that one can help the Eagles remain competitive, but such deals only work if the replacements produce. Enter Texas product Andrew Mukuba -- a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft -- who might be asked to step in and fill the void right away. It will be no easy task, even on a talented defense. Meanwhile, Gardner-Johnson will aim to follow up a career-best season with a stellar campaign as a member of the Texans, where he's joining one of the best secondaries in the NFL.
The Eagles let several good players walk this offseason due to financial constraints, including key contributors Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, and Isaiah Rodgers. Retaining Zack Baun was their top priority this offseason, and they signed him to a three-year, $51 million extension. They also extended Saquon Barkley and Lane Johnson.
Roseman likely wanted to avoid a potential contract dispute with Gardner-Johnson in preparation for paying his younger players. Cam Jurgens, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean are all on rookie contracts. Carter is projected to reset the defensive tackle market next year.
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San Francisco Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Brothers bring boxing back to Fenway after 70 years and hope to revitalize the sport in Boston
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Promoters Mark and Matt Nolan want 'Fight Night at Fenway,' scheduled for Saturday, to be both a time capsule and time machine, taking spectators back to boxing's glory days and what the sport can be for the city in the future. The Nolans got their license to organize fights last year with the goal of bringing boxing back to Boston. After Fenway, 'That's mission accomplished,' Matt Nolan said. 'It's not just like our dream, it's everybody's dream — every boxer on planet Earth,' he said. 'Just the idea that some kid can fight his way to Fenway Park. It's like hitting the lottery. You can't you can't beat it. There's nothing comparable.' A rich history Boston has played a long and impressive role in American boxing history and the development of the sport itself, said Johnson, author of 'Field of Our Fathers, An Illustrated History of Fenway Park.' The city was home to 'Boston's Strong Boy,' John L. 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'They're making sure that every fight is well-matched,' said Thomas 'The Kid' O'Toole, a fighter from rural Galway, Ireland, who has lived in Boston for the past two years, 'Nobody wants to see someone go in and just knock their opponent out right away and beat them up for four, six, eight rounds. They want to see a competitive fight.' O'Toole went professional in 2021 and is undefeated with 13 fights. He said his fight against St. Louis-born Vaughn 'Da Animal' Alexander at Fenway will be 'the biggest test of his career.' Massachusetts-born Lexi 'Lil Savage' Bolduc will compete in her fourth professional fight. She faces Sarah Couillard in a rematch after coming out on the losing end of a majority draw at the Royale. 'Fighting at Fenway, I think adds a little bit of pressure because I'm local, I grew up in Mass and idolized a lot of players as I was growing up. ... But at the same time, I'm trying to use it just as a huge opportunity and really soak in the moment,' she said. 'Pressure makes diamonds. 'To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it's really remarkable,' she said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Check out this mic'd up footage of new Broncos UDFA CB Joshua Pickett
The Denver Broncos just wrapped up organized team activities, with minicamp on deck next. The rookies were able to meet their veteran counterparts and showcase their skills before training camp begins. One of those new rookies is undrafted free agent defensive back Joshua Pickett. Pickett was a four-year player at Duke University from 2021-24. In 50 games played, Pickett recorded 101 tackles (66 solo, 35 assisted), five tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, 16 pass deflections and one forced fumble. Pickett had his best season in 2024, where he had 38 combined tackles (26 solo, 12 assisted), four tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble and seven pass deflections. Advertisement In one of the toughest divisions in college football, Pickett was a stalwart pass defender, and he'll aim to win a spot in Denver's secondary this summer. In the 2024 season, Pickett was mic'd up for a practice at Duke. Check out the hilarious two-minute video of Pickett below: Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Check out mic'd up footage of CB Joshua Pickett
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
This NFL coach and QB combination could be the most dangerous in 2025
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"One thing about the QB that came even as a little surprise for us," Payton told USA TODAY Sports, "was seeing some of these off-schedule throws from him, and it kind of stunned us at how good he was at that. It's because he's so fast. I don't think people get how athletic and how fast he is." Off-schedule or off-platform throws are when the quarterback makes a pass while not in a balanced or standard throwing position. Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes excels at these. Nix is getting really good at them. In fact, he's getting good at it all. He's a big reason why the Broncos' Super Bowl window is officially open now. You read that correctly. Payton is asked for a bottom-line evaluation of Nix. "I'm seeing a player who I think will continue to make big strides," said Payton. Nix last season was off to a good start. He set Broncos rookie records for passing touchdowns (29), completions (376) and passing yards (3,775). He was also the first rookie quarterback in league history to record multiple games with at least 300 passing yards, four passing scores and a passer rating of at least 140. What Payton has found in Nix is most likely another quarterback star. Payton has had this before. (More on that in a moment.) This season we could see this duo become the most dangerous coach-quarterback combo in football. It's also why that Super Bowl window is opening now. Notice, I didn't say the best coach-quarterback combo (though that could happen as well). I said the most dangerous. If anyone can unseat the current best combo right now in Andy Reid and Mahomes, with three straight Super Bowl appearances, it would be this one. Yes, the combo of Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts just beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl, but Reid-Mahomes is still the gold standard. Payton and Nix, however, just entered the chat. The Broncos were a stunning 10-7 last year in part because Nix shocked everyone. But there's a reason he did. This is what Payton does. Give him a good quarterback, he makes him really good. Give him a great quarterback, he helps make him a certain Hall of Famer. See: Brees, Drew. Brees finished his career as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards and completions when he retired in 2021. Tom Brady would later pass him. (Brady would later pass errybody.) Brees made 13 Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl, where he was also named Super Bowl MVP. Brees once remembered how this historic pairing began. "It goes back to when he first sat me down before I ever signed with the Saints, and he started drawing up plays on the board that was a combination of his West Coast offensive background and philosophy, and the things that I did well with the San Diego Chargers," Brees said. "I remember looking at him saying, 'Oh, you guys run these concepts as well?' And he said, 'No, but I know that you ran these and you ran them very well, and we're going to build this offense around you and your strengths.' "Right away, I realized that that was such a unique approach and maybe so much different than what I expected, especially from a first-time head coach, coming into a really tough situation with high expectations." That is classic Payton. I'll always believe that Payton is the best play caller in the history of the sport. One of the best play designers. One of the best at getting his players to understand his concepts, and adapting his concepts to the player. I know this because I've seen it up and close and personal. Watched him do it. Brees will skip into the Hall of Fame and some day Payton will follow him. Now, I'm seeing the same thing in Denver. It goes beyond the obvious that Nix and Brees are similar specimens. It's Payton again morphing the offense around what Nix does best. Payton is also criminally underrated in building a good culture. He's creating Saints West. Not the Saints you see now. Or the almost comically bad Saints teams from the 1970s. It's the one that was once solid and even feared. Payton is helping his own cause by putting pieces all around Nix. The Broncos had a successful offseason signing key free agents in safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and tight end Evan Engram. The latter will be that "joker" weapon for the Broncos who maneuvers around the formation creating mismatches. 'That is a cool thing to just embrace,' Engram said. 'Sean talks about it a lot. It was a big part of the pitch coming here. ... I definitely see that it is something that has to be earned with the way I work and the way that I learn the offense to gain the trust of Sean, Bo, and the rest of the coaches and players. I think we have a bunch of 'Jokers' on this team, honestly, that can have a great role on this offense. It is definitely something that I like to embrace, but it is also something that I am going to earn, too.' And there's a piece of data you should know. The Broncos had 134 games missed due to injuries in 2022. That number fell to 35 in 2023 and 33 last season. It shows Payton is figuring out more than just the QB situation. So, this is just your warning. Will the Broncos win the Super Bowl this year? Maybe not. Or, heck, maybe so. What's certain is the Super Bowl window for this team is officially open. Thanks primarily to Payton and Nix.
