Eagles, Zack Baun agree to terms on new 3-year deal
Before the Eagles departed Philadelphia for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman held a question-and-answer session with beat reporters who cover the team and talked about linebacker Zack Baun and how it all came to be, how a role player in New Orleans become an Eagle.
It wasn’t an accident. The Eagles had Baun in their sights from the jump when free agency opened in March of 2024.
“He was a targeted player,” Roseman said.
He was, in fact, one of the very first players the Eagles reached out to, via his agent, believing that the skills he showed in the rotational repetitions he gained with the Saints for four seasons would translate to Vic Fangio’s defense, perhaps, as it turned out, in a different position. Baun signed a one-year contract with the Eagles and focused on ways he could help the team and bolster his career.
Turns out, the skills more than translated. They beamed in the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, as Baun, moved to an off-ball linebacker position for the first time in his career, became a first-team All-Pro player, a Pro Bowl selection, and a finalist for The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
As the 2025 NFL Free Agency period nears, the Eagles had no intention of allowing Baun to leave. He’s found a home, everyone agrees, and the Eagles made that official, announcing on Wednesday that Baun had agreed to terms on a three-year deal through the 2027 season.
“I’ve loved this season and enjoyed the year more than anything on and off the field,” Baun said during the week of the Super Bowl. “I’m here to do whatever I can to help the team win football games. I love the coaching staff, the guys in the locker room, the organization, the fans. Everything has been just right for me.
“It’s been amazing.”
So was Baun in 2024. He capped off his superlative season with a virtuoso performance in Super Bowl LIX, leading the Eagles with 7 unassisted tackles, making a diving interception of a Patrick Mahomes pass late in the first half in Kansas City territory that the Eagles offense turned into seven points and a 24-0 lead at halftime, and doing his thing in Philadelphia’s dominating defensive performance as the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22 to capture their second Lombardi Trophy.
Baun’s performance all season was a testament to the team’s pro scouting department, which identified Baun as a player to study closely, the team’s ability to reach out to him quickly and sign him, and then the coaching staff to develop him in a new position.
And, of course, Baun – who had a takeaway in each of the Eagles’ four postseason games after recording 150 total tackles, 5 forced fumbles (tied for second in the NFL), 4 passes defensed, 3.5 quarterback sacks, and an interception and fumble recovery in his 16-game regular season — deserves so many kudos for stepping into his opportunity and not looking back and having, truly, a dream season.
“I don’t think you can put it on any one thing that he’s improved on,” Linebackers Coach Bobby King said during Super Bowl week. “He just had a chance, had an opportunity to show himself, and he’s done that. He’s played physical. He’s like a Swiss Army knife with about 12 different tools and blades on it. He’s got a chance to show those. Yes, he has improved those, but he’s a pro and he works at it every day.”
The work continues for Baun, a third-round draft pick by the Saints in 2020 and started 14 games for New Orleans in his four seasons there. It also continues for the Eagles, who just on Tuesday announced that All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension that keeps him in Philadelphia through the 2028 season.
Teams are permitted to negotiate new contracts with the certified agents of pending unrestricted free agents on Monday and the 2025 NFL Business Year begins at 4 PM on Wednesday. The Eagles are taking care of business after winning Super Bowl LIX, and retaining Baun – who would have been a highly sought-after free agent had he hit the market – was a priority just as it was a year ago when the Eagles reached out in a matter of minutes after free agency began to reel in a relative unknown who turned out to be a key piece in their Super Bowl Championship season.
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