There isn’t a general manager that has done a better job of navigating the NFL salary cap the past several seasons than Philadelphia Eagles’ Howie Roseman. But even Roseman isn’t a magician.
The league has a salary cap for a reason. The cap makes it challenging for any organization to remain elite for a long period of time.
While speaking to reporters Thursday, Roseman made clear that to navigate the salary cap this offseason, the organization is not going to be able to keep every single free agent it wants.
“The important thing for us is that there are players that we can’t lose. I mean obviously, we are going to do what’s best for us,” Roseman said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank. “We want to keep (players) around here because they’re really good players. Homegrown players that are really good people that are part of our core.
“With that, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. That’s on me to make sure that the sacrifices we make are filled in with really good players, again.”
Eagles 2026 Salary Cap Situation Howie Roseman Faces
Considering the amount of success the Eagles have experienced this decade, the team isn’t in a bad cap situation. As of January 18, the team is ranked 18th in cap space with $15.5 million to spend.
As is the case with every team, Roseman will likely open more space with early offseason cuts and contract restructures as well.
Having said that, an NFL salary cap can disappear quickly. That’s especially true when young players under contract need long-term extensions by next year.
Eagles defensive stars Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter fall into that category.
Philadelphia’s unrestricted free agents this offseason include Jean Phillips, Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, Dallas Goedert and Fred Johnson. Others such as Adoree’ Jackson, Marcus Epps, and Jahan Dotson can sign with new teams as well when free agency begins in March.
The Eagles won’t be able to re-sign most of those players. As has been the case in previous years, Philadelphia will have to draft well to replace them.
“I know that’s hard, but we’ve got to keep doing it. That means we have to have a good process,” Roseman added. “We’ve got to understand the people that we’re bringing into the building. We’ve got to understand the roles and the vision that we have for them when they’re playing.
“If we do that, good things will happen. We’ll be able to keep the players that we need to keep under long-term contracts and have an influx of young players that are really good that can play at a high level.”
Howie Roseman Fires Warning to Eagles Ahead of NFL Free Agency