The Eagles had a phenomenal offseason last year, with multiple hits that directly contributed to their Super Bowl victory. But GM Howie Roseman wasn’t flawless. His biggest free agent signing, OLB Bryce Huff, was essentially a zero.
Philadelphia targeted Huff as someone whose best football could be ahead of him. Largely a situational pass rusher his first three years in New York, Huff broke out with 10 sacks for the Jets in 2023. At just 26 years old last year, Huff was someone the Eagles thought could grow into a larger role and play more as an every-down defensive end.
Things didn’t pan out that way. Huff played the second-fewest snaps of his career. A wrist injury didn’t help but even when he was healthy, Huff was relegated to a role deep in the rotation. He proved to be a poor fit in DC Vic Fangio’s system, one that was fairly different than the one he played in with the Jets.
Both sides could benefit from a fresh start. Huff could still realize some of his potential with a better scheme fit, while the Eagles could salvage some value from one of Roseman’s few miscalculations. It’s no surprise Huff’s name has come up in trade rumors, so here’s a look at some potential deals that could make sense.
Trade Logistics
The biggest complicating factor for the Eagles in trading Huff will be his contract. Philadelphia gave Huff a three-year, $51 million contract as a free agent, with two years and $34 million of that guaranteed. The team is still on the hook for $16.75 million guaranteed in 2025 and it’s unlikely they’ll find any willing takers for all of that. More than likely, the Eagles will have to eat some of that money to facilitate a deal.
Huff has a veteran minimum base salary with the remaining $15 million or so in an option bonus to spread out the cap hit. If the Eagles trade Huff after the option is picked up, a new team would owe Huff just over $1 million — a very manageable ask that would increase his trade value substantially. If the Eagles want to save more cash, they can work that out too. Just think of it as a sliding scale, with the team getting a better pick but less savings the more cash it’s willing to eat. There are no guarantees on Huff’s deal past this year, so a new team isn’t on the hook for anything beyond what it agrees to pay in 2025.
The other wrinkle to note here is that trading Huff before June 1 would actually increase his cap hit for 2025 by $5.4 million because of the dead money in void years accelerating to the current season. If the Eagles wait until after that date for a trade, they can split the dead money between 2025 and 2026, minimizing the impact to the books this year.
Trade Proposals
San Francisco 49ers
49ers give 2026 conditional 6th for Huff
San Francisco stands out among the potential landing spots for Huff. For starters, if schematic fit was a major limitation for Huff with the Eagles, it would be a major boost with the 49ers who just re-hired former Jets HC Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator. Huff had his best seasons in Saleh’s system, including his breakout 2023 when he notched double-digit sacks. Saleh has raved about the former UDFA Huff and his potential to do more.
Huff would also fill a significant need for the 49ers, who are looking to restock their defensive line with talent. San Francisco has been looking for punch across from star DE Nick Bosa for a while now. Huff would team up with DE Yetur Gross-Matos to form a nice 1-2 tandem for the 49ers to rotate, with Gross-Matos taking more of the load on early downs and Huff getting to pin his ears back and do what he does best on third down.
The 49ers are currently in the top five in available cap space but cutting costs has been a major theme this offseason. There’s likely a limit to how much of Huff’s deal they’d be willing to take but Saleh’s familiarity with Huff means it could be more than other teams. For the sake of the hypothetical, let’s say the 49ers agree to take half the guarantees in 2025, in the neighborhood of $8 million. The Eagles already have plenty of picks this year, so San Francisco sends a 2026 late-rounder that has upside to the fourth round based on playing time and sacks for Huff.
That deal gives the 49ers a potential impact pass rusher for an affordable cost. Huff has no guarantees on his deal in 2026, so the 49ers could move on with no risk if things don’t work out. They would also be able to renegotiate his deal if it’s a good fit.
Atlanta Falcons
Falcons give 2025 4th (No. 118), 2026 6th for Huff, 2025 4th (No. 134)
The Falcons are the second team that would be a crystal clear scheme fit for Huff which is important based on how last year went. Atlanta hired DC Jeff Ulbrich who held the same role for the Jets and Huff for three years. He’ll be bringing the same attacking system to the Falcons that Huff thrived in.
As Ulbrich looks to put his stamp on the Falcons, he’ll be like many other coaches and look for familiar faces. It helps that the Falcons desperately need to improve their pass rush after being one of the most ineffective teams in that department last year. Huff would fill a major need for Atlanta and check the familiarity box for Ulbrich.
The biggest issue is the Falcons don’t have a lot of resources at their disposal. They have just five draft picks this year and are near the bottom of the NFL in cap space thanks to how much is still on the books for QB Kirk Cousins. They almost certainly would need the Eagles to eat all but a million or two of Huff’s salary, yet would be hard-pressed to come up with a pick to make that worthwhile for the Eagles. A compromise could be a pick swap in the fourth this year plus a late-rounder in 2026.
Chicago Bears
Bears give 2026 5th for Huff, 2026 7th
Familiarity greases the wheels for a lot of transactions in the NFL, but it’s not just coaches with hands-on experience with players. Front office personnel can have a big sway on moves. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham wasn’t with the Jets or Eagles when Huff was on those rosters but he’s close with former Jets GM Joe Douglas and the two have similar philosophies. It’s safe to say Cunningham could see the same value in Huff that Douglas did, and that could lead the Bears to show interest in Huff.
The Bears added to their defensive line in free agency but both GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson have alluded to wanting waves of pass rushers coming at opponents. There are some candidates on the roster like Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy but none of them have anything on their resume like what Huff has produced so far. The Bears could give that trio some time in the offseason to develop but if they think they can be a contending team, adding a proven performer like Huff to their edge rushing rotation could be dynamic.
The Bears have spent most of their budget already this offseason, so they likely won’t be looking to take a bunch of money from the Eagles. They have a fifth this year but the Eagles already have four picks in that round in 2025, so a pick swap in 2026 might make more sense.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers give 2025 6th (No. 214) for Huff
The Chargers re-signed OLB Khalil Mack this offseason but other than that haven’t really addressed an edge rusher group that lost OLB Joey Bosa. Former second-rounder Tuli Tuipulotu is in line for an expanded role and the Chargers still have veteran OLB Bud Dupree to take snaps in the rotation, but there’s plenty of room here for reinforcements.
Huff would add some juice to the rotation. While he would be adjusting to a new scheme for the second straight year, there’s reason to think Chargers DC Jesse Minter’s system is a better fit for Huff than the Fangio defense. Huff’s first step and speed could be put to better use under Minter. Former Jets executive Chad Alexander who was part of the front office that identified Huff is now with the Chargers under GM Joe Hortiz, who also shares some philosophical roots with Douglas.
Hortiz had arguably the biggest war chest of assets of any GM this offseason with 10 draft picks and over $80 million in cap space, but he took a disciplined approach, meaning there’s still plenty of money for Los Angeles to work with. They can afford to take on half or more of Huff’s salary and give up just one of their four sixth-round picks. Odds are pretty solid that Huff will contribute more than the player they would take with that pick.
Tennessee Titans
Titans give 2025 4th (No. 120) for Huff, 2025 5th (No. 161)
Huff is most likely to draw interest from teams looking to win now and not necessarily rebuilding squads. However, there are a few reasons the Titans could be an exception. Last year’s 3-14 record put a lot of pressure on a new coaching staff to get results heading into its second season and owner Amy Adams Strunk has not exhibited a lot of patience the past few years. Pass rusher is one of the top remaining needs for Tennessee after cutting veteran Harold Landry. They signed Dre’Mont Jones, but he could be a better fit on the interior, and after him and Arden Key it’s quite barren at the position.
Titans DC Dennard Wilson crossed over with Huff briefly when he was a rookie, as did LB coach Frank Bush. There’s not the same familiarity as other potential landing spots but there’s enough for Tennessee to potentially be comfortable with a deal. Giving up a draft pick would be a hard sell but a swap might be more palatable, especially since it addresses such a big need.
Green Bay Packers
Packers give 2025 7th (No. 237) for Huff
While Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has expressed confidence in the players already on the roster stepping up and producing more as pass rushers, this is a potential problem spot for Green Bay. There aren’t notable connections to Huff on staff but he’s arguably one of the best sack artists potentially available going into the summer and he would be a better scheme fit in Packers DC Jeff Hafley’s defense, which wants to be attacking and get up the field. Green Bay has some salary flexibility to take on more of Huff’s contract than other teams, but Gutekunst likely will drive a harder bargain with draft compensation.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jaguars give 2025 6th for Huff, 2026 7th
The Jaguars are set with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker as starting edge rushers but the rotation behind them has been a problem for a couple of seasons now. There are no clear staff connections with Huff but he’d be a good fit as a rotational rusher behind those two. Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile is a first-time coordinator but it seems he’ll run a similar scheme to Hafley in Green Bay who he’s worked under multiple times. On paper, Huff is a good fit in that kind of attacking front. The Jaguars have nearly $30 million in available cap space, so they could take on a little more cash in exchange for lesser draft compensation, like this late-round swap.
New England Patriots
Patriots give 2025 7th (No. 220), 2026 7th for Huff, 2025 5th (No. 161)
If any team is willing to pay the full salary freight for Huff, it could be New England, which still has nearly $70 million in available cap space to play with. In this scenario, the Eagles could actually attach draft compensation to incentivize a team to take on the full $16.75 million for Huff. The Patriots would move a seventh-round pick up two rounds and attach a future pick to balance out the value a little bit, plus ensure the NFL approves the deal as it has frowned on pure salary dump deals in the past.
The Patriots could get the added bonus of a solid pass rusher as well in this deal, something the team is in big need of. New HC Mike Vrabel and DC Terrell Williams are shifting the Patriots’ defense for the first time in decades, putting more of a priority on speed and disruption than bulk. Huff wouldn’t have been a great fit before but now there could be a real role for him.
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