Zack Baun inks three-year deal with Eagles

Happy Thursday! Zack Baun isn’t going anywhere. Baun exceeded expectations more than any other Eagle during the team’s Super Bowl LIX championship run, and now he gets rewarded with a new, three-year deal.

The Birds’ NFC East rivals, meanwhile, are prepping for a run of their own. Bless their little hearts.

In the email today:

• 💰 Zack Baun inks three-year deal with Eagles

• 💰️Cowboys restructure Prescott, Lamb deals, free up $35M+ in cap space

• 🏀 Villanova's tournament hopes hit hard by Hoyas

  • 📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

  • 📊 Poll

  • 🔗 Links

  • 📺 Coming Up

What a difference a season makes.

Last offseason, the Birds signed largely unknown linebacker Zack Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million contract.

Now, Baun, a 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year finalist and Super Bowl champion, will get $34 million guaranteed as part of a new three-year, $51 million deal.

Baun registered 151 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, five quarterback hits and 3 1/2 sacks with the Eagles last season.

And he intercepted Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX.

The Baun news comes on the heels of Saquon Barkley’s fat new contract. There are some free agent Birds who may leave the nest, most notably edge rusher Josh Sweat, defensive tackle Milton Williams, and guard Mekhi Becton.

But Baun was at the center of the Eagles’ championship defense, both literally and figuratively. It’s not surprising that Howie Roseman and his team prioritized this deal over the others.

Next up, a Myles Garrett trade??

We can dream.

The NFC East has apparently noticed that the Eagles won the Super Bowl.

The Washington Commanders recently traded for Deebo Samuel, giving Jayden Daniels another premium weapon.

The New York Giants, um, are kicking the tires on Aaron Rodgers.

Then we have the Dallas Cowboys, who a few days ago were hamstrung enough with their salary cap problems to be seen as likely bystanders in free agency. The Cowboys had to do something, and they did.

The Cowboys’ house organ played the notes their championship-starved fan base was dying to hear.

This is a significant financial maneuver from the Cowboys. It is also a tacit admission from Prescott and Lamb that the Cowboys, as currently constructed, probably wouldn’t be able to pry a playoff spot away from the Eagles or the Commanders.

Prescott and Lamb aren’t the only ones who see why the Cowboys needed to kick the can down the road on their stars’ money.

It is possible that this financial planning from the Cowboys will amount to nothing. You not only have to have the cap room, you have to spend it on the right players. And the right players have to want to be Cowboys.

The Commanders remain the biggest threat to the Eagles in the division. But as usual, the Cowboys aren’t going to go away quietly.

Last week, we wrote that there was a path to the NCAA Tournament for the Villanova Wildcats. Entering the BIg East tournament 19-12 overall and 12-8 in conference, and adding a few Big East tournament wins, might have been enough.

Consistent with Villanova’s body of work this season, they did a lot of what they needed to do. They just couldn’t close.

In Eric Dixon’ final regular season Big East game, he scored 24 points and played 39 of 40 possible minutes. As usual, there was only so much Dixon could do.

Dixon needed to go almost the whole route because Villanova coach Kyle Neptune only really trusts six of his players. Against a Georgetown team with little to play for, Neptune gave two substitute players 30 of the 200 game minutes.

Calls for Neptune’s job resonated, again.

Serious question: If Villanova does part ways with Neptune, who will take over? Because the cupboard is bare.

Villanova achieved what little it did with the nation’s leading scorer. Of the seven players who appeared in the Georgetown game, the only non-senior/graduate student is Tyler Perkins, and he didn’t start.

It’s little wonder that the Wildcats who played didn’t exactly kill themselves to save Neptune’s job. Most of them will be somewhere else next season anyway, either via running out of eligibility or potentially the transfer portal.

Will they be though?

📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

On March 6, 2008, the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 6-1 in a Grapefruit League game. Brett Myers threw four shutout innings for the Phils.

On the other side, Roy Halladay threw three shutout innings for the Jays.

📊 Poll

Results from Wednesday:

🔗 Links

• ⚡️ The Chargers released Joey Bosa.

• ⚔️ The Cavaliers claimed the first spot in this season’s NBA playoff tournament.

• ⚾️ Bryce Harper says he’s willing to return to the outfield if the Phillies get a masher at first base.

• 🏀 ICYMI: LeBron James became the first NBA player to score 50,000 combined regular season and playoff points.

📺 Coming Up

Games before our next send.

Thursday, March 6, 2025

• Flyers vs. Jets, 7:00 p.m., (NBC Sports Philadelphia)

• Sixers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

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