Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman paid his running back. Now he's making it rain for an off-ball linebacker.
The Eagles are re-signing All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year, $51 million contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday, per sources informed of the deal. The pact includes $34 million guaranteed.
Philly announced the agreement shortly after.
The $17 million-per-year deal keeps Baun off the free-agent market and makes him the fourth highest-paid linebacker in the NFL, behind Roquan Smith ($20 million per year), Fred Warner ($19.045 million) and Tremaine Edmunds ($18 million).
Philly inked Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million deal in free agency last year. Under Vic Fangio, the linebacker became one of the best bargains in the league.
A first-team All-Pro, Baun was a wrecking ball from Week 1 until the Eagles hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Playing a new position in Philadelphia, the 28-year-old was a Tasmanian devil, generating 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, one interception and four passes defensed.
Baun was as good a sideline-to-sideline disruptor as any in the NFL last season.
Roseman hasn't been known to spend on linebackers in the past. In other years, he let several walk in free agency rather than pay a premium for the position. The GM knew Baun was different. In Fangio's scheme, he is a roving playmaker, not a replaceable talent.
From giving Saquon Barkley a pay bump with multiple years left on his deal to locking down a linebacker like Baun, Roseman proved that even an analytics-based mentality has room for change. Outliers deserve to get paid. The Eagles paid them, ensuring the core of their Super Bowl-winning squad remains mostly intact.
With several other big names heading toward free agency -- Milton Williams, Josh Sweat -- we'll see how many more key pieces Philly can retain as it chases another Lombardi.
