After the turnover seen on the defense over the offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles will be leaning more on their 26-year-old safety Reed Blankenship to take more of a leadership role. Blankenship will be looking for something in return from the team.
Entering the final year of his contract, Blankenship and the Eagles have a looming conversation about a contract extension that needs to be had. Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton wrote about each NFL team's most crucial contract extension, with the Eagles needing to come up with a new deal for Blankenship.
"Last offseason, the Eagles signed Blankenship to a one-year extension after his first full season as a starter. This year, they should offer him a multiyear deal. He proved that his 2023 campaign wasn't a fluke, following it up with another productive term. Over the last two years, he's recorded 17 pass breakups and seven interceptions, allowing a 72.5 passer rating last season. He can command a sizeable pay raise in his contract year."
Blankenship's lingering contract extension should get handled soon enough
Last season was considered a down year for Blankenship from 2023 despite still putting up good numbers. He had a career-high four interceptions on the year and still finished third on the team in tackles with 78.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been focused on keeping the young talent within the organization as he let older players like Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson go either by trade or release. That left the door open for Blankenship to be the veteran leader in the secondary.
Blankenship will be getting $3.57 million for 2025, according to Spotrac. His next deal will easily double that amount on a longer-term deal. It seems unlikely the Eagles would let him walk and decide to extend him for at least two to three more years, if not longer.
Philadelphia will make sure to get something done either this year or next offseason, but the Eagles would be smart to get it done before the beginning of the regular season in case Blankenship's asking price gets higher with a strong 2025 season.
