Tori Sheffer

GO BIRDS, BABY!!!

Two years ago, in Glendale, Arizona, the Philadelphia Eagles watched their dreams of being National Football champions slip through their fingers as a holding call from the refs allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to sneak past them 38-35. Years later, the two teams got to have a rematch. As the clock ticked down and green and white confetti burst onto the field and over the crowd in New Orleans, Eagles fans across the globe rejoiced as the team finally ended the Chiefs’ postseason success, taking home their franchise’s second national title. Growing up a lifelong Eagles fan, I have been fortunate enough to see our team not only grow into a sustainable, successful team, but I’ve gotten to experience both national championships they’ve won while in adulthood. While the first one was back in 2018, there was something about last night’s victory that was even sweeter than before. While we all should be celebrating hard until Friday’s snowy parade, let’s reminisce on how the birds got to this point, shall we?

If you asked anyone from the coaching staff to the coordinators to the players, just about anyone who calls Lincoln Financial Field their home office knew going into this season what was needed to make this decent team from 2023, one who endured one of the worst collapses of all time, into a championship-caliber team that could truly vie for the Lombardi trophy: a stronger running game and a secondary defense that could hold off opposing offense’s receivers; and our front office did just that. Howie Roseman, resident front office wizard, did not know peace last offseason as he started running the gambit on free agents who could truly make an impact for this team in 2024, names along the likes of Saquon Barkley (who in his first season with the Eagles was named NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year), Zack Baun, and big number ocho, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, just to name a few; however, the free agents weren’t the only players Roseman and his team found in 2024 who made an impact as rookies Cooper DeJean and Quinyion Mitchell held their own defensively this season as well. After each game, I weekly found myself time and time again saying, “If it weren’t for our defense…” finish the statement there: they truly were the key, not to mention the clearing out of both last year’s offensive and defensive coordinators to make way for Kellen Moore and Philly native (and my personal MVP of the season) Vic Fangio who were the breath of fresh air our coaching staff needed.

“Defense wins championships,” Super Bowl MVP and former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts said last night during the postgame celebration, paying homage to all the guys on the D-line and in the secondary, in addition to Vic Fangio, who kept our team afloat during this season, most notably during the “Snow Bowl” during the divisional round game against the Los Angeles Rams. While during last night’s game, the offense did seem to click, thanks to playmaker Hurts, the defense was impeccable. From the big Pick 6 from birthday boy Cooper DeJean to Zack Baun’s interception, to the pummeling of Patrick Mahomes in the name of six sacks, it was a defensive masterclass with some brilliant offense led by Hurts which cemented the Eagles win, and more importantly, a humbling (borderline embarrassing) loss for the reigning champs who were looking for a “three-peat.” 

Additionally, something equally as beautifully surreal as the win itself was seeing number 55, our defensive captain Brandon Graham, have one last (successful) shot at a championship in midnight green before hanging up his cleats. After suffering what many thought would’ve been a season-ending injury about halfway through the season, BG has been sidelined, and many fans took to Philly Sports social media saying, “Win it all for [BG]; however, thanks to the success of his team, specifically the defense he proudly led up until the torn tricep in the Week 12 win. He and fellow veteran turned two-time Super Bowl champion Darius Slay Jr. have been on record saying that this 2024 season was going to be a “farewell tour” of sorts, hoping they would see the promised land with their team one last time before retirement, and not falling off by way of 2023’s retirees, legends, Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce. While neither has officially announced anything quite yet, it wouldn’t be shocking if this news breaks in the coming weeks after the celebrations die down; however, until then, it’ll be nice to celebrate these players who have been cornerstones for our defense as they hand the baton over to their younger compatriots. It should be noted that in addition to some Philly legends potentially retiring, some other key members of this year’s defensive renaissance will be hitting free agency this offseason, so the possibility of our defense remaining as elite as we saw last night is not as likely as one might think. 

A staple of the last three years toward the front of our defensive line has been linebacker Josh Sweat, who notably signed a three-year extension back in 2021 and will be hitting the free agent market with a new agent this offseason, one who is known to get his big-name clients a big paycheck to match their star power. With Nolan Smith’s continuing emergence and the promising development of the 2024 Draft’s third-round pick, Jalyx Hunt, Sweat’s tenure in Philly might soon be over despite leading the team this year with eight sacks on the season. Speaking of Sweat’s iconic sacks, his counterpart in the domination of Patrick Mahomes last night, most notably during the second half of the game when he hit Mahomes with the strip sack, was Milton Williams. Williams has been with the Eagles since 2021, so the end of his Rookie contract is finally up, and Williams will also be hitting unrestricted free agency. After Javon Hargrave’s departure in 2022, Milton Williams really made himself known on the defensive side of the football for the Birds, and after a breakout year this year, he’s truly hit his peak at the right time, upping his pricetag even more after that sixth and final sack during last night’s win. While Williams might not have the same pop as Jalen Carter, he led the Eagles’ defensive tackles this year with a 12.5% pressure rate during the regular season. One of the last big names Eagles fans should pray for Howie to retain is none other than this year’s Cinderella story, Zack Baun. He signed just a one-year deal with the Eagles last offseason under the impression that he could get a few snaps in as a pass rusher and be our secret weapon on Special Teams; however, Baun truly became the belle of the ball this past season, not only getting a job as a starting linebacker, but a Pro Bowl nod and All-Pro honors as well. He played about 95% of snaps this regular season, and in that time, he put up some pretty remarkable numbers with the Birds: 150 tackles, 11 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 14 QB pressures, five forced fumbles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. In my opinion, he would be the most valuable free agent to keep. With his current deal estimate at 2 years and $19.4 million, the Eagles could easily make this pipe dream of re-signing Baun a reality, having about $30 million in salary cap space after being freed from salary cap purgatory two years ago, only rolling over $10 million into the 2025 season. In addition to these big three, Offensive Tackle Mekhi Becton Jr., Runningback Kenneth Gainwell, and Cornerback Avonte Maddox will also be hitting free agency as well. 

While the thought of a lot of these guys Eagles fans have known to love, some only within one year of playing for the city, is daunting; there is a lot to be hopeful for while looking ahead to next season, and until then, en we can all breathe easier knowing that out of all 31 teams in the NFL who could put an end to the Chiefs’ dark reign over the league, it was our group of hungry underdogs who succeeded in bringing a new champion forward. It takes a village to be as dominant as our boys were in last night’s win, and we, the viewers, got to see that mantra on full display, showing how beautifully collaborative the sport of football truly is. And with that sentiment, I bid the 2024 NFL season a fond farewell as she will live in my heart, as well as the hearts of all Eagles fans, for a long while after Friday’s parade. 

Enjoy your celebrations, everyone! Remember to stay safe if you’re hitting the streets of Philly, and, as always, Go Birds.