10:20pm: While the restructure to Huff’s contract and his subsequent trade will clear more than $15MM off the Eagles’ 2025 salary cap, the team is only receiving $2.4MM in practical savings, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. Originally, Huff would have counted for $7.4MM against the 2025 cap with his option bonus prorating out over the next five years. Now, the Eagles will have to absorb a $4.94MM dead cap charge this year with $16.6MM in dead money in 2026.
12:43pm: To little surprise, Bryce Huff will not remain with the Eagles for 2025. A trade agreement is in place for the veteran edge rusher.
After remaining away from the team during spring workouts, Huff is set to be on the move shortly. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports a trade has been worked out which will send him to the 49ers in return for a mid-round pick. The swap will officially take place after June 1. Schefter notes a Day 3 pick will change hands in this case.
Huff has restructured his contract to facilitate the trade. As Schefter’s colleague Field Yates details, Philadelphia declined Huff’s option bonus (which was worth a guaranteed $15.58MM), giving him a 2025 base salary of the same amount. The Eagles then converted $9.05MM of that salary into a signing bonus that they will absorb as dead money across the next two years. San Francisco will take on the remaining $7.95MM in base pay for the coming campaign. Philadelphia will save more than $15MM in cap space while the 49ers become responsible for the final two years of Huff’s contract.
Expectations were high for Huff upon his arrival in Philadelphia last year, but his $51MM pact did not work out as planned. This deal will allow him to reunite with Robert Saleh after the two worked together with the Jets. Saleh was the head coach for Huff’s final three years in New York and returned to the 49ers’ defensive coordinator position this offseason.
Returning to a Saleh-coached defense could help Huff return to his 2023 form, which featured 10 sacks and a league-high 21.3% pressure rate, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The 27-year-old struggled to adapt to Vic Fangio‘s scheme in Philadelphia, which demanded more versatility out of its edge defenders. In San Francisco, Huff can focus on rushing the passer, which could free up No. 11 pick Mykel Williams to take on a more variable role on third downs.
For the Eagles, this is yet another smart bit of business by general manager Howie Roseman, who pursued Huff aggressively last offseason but wasn’t afraid to admit his mistake and move on this year. The restructured contract is an example of Roseman’s creative salary cap management that allowed Philadelphia to avoid paying out the full $34MM of guaranteed money in Huff’s contract.
After letting Josh Sweat walk in free agency, the Eagles will need another edge defender to step up as a starter alongside Nolan Smith. They have multiple options to choose from after re-signing Patrick Johnson and adding Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche this offseason. 2024 third-rounder Jalyx Hunt could also earn a starting job after flashing his pass-rushing talent during the team’s playoff run last season.
Can’t be worse than Randy Gregory, or Chase Young or wait for it….Leonard (bleeping) Floyd.
John Lynch does love trading for DE pass rushers annually.
Huff is a bust in Philly and hardly a DE pass rusher but good riddance. Howie always finds a way.
The dude had ten sacks the year before we signed him. He’s definitely a pass rusher.
He was also a big pressure guy before that in his short time in NY.
The problem was that Howie thought they could turn him into a 3 down player. But he is really bad against the run. “unplayable” was a quote thrown around. If you can’t set the edge vs. the run as a DE, Vic will not put you on the field. Healthy scratch for the SuperBowl tells you everything.
He’ll be in more of a situational pass rush only role in SF, so he does have a chance to be more effective there. That’s how Saleh used him in NY. But he was never going to play in Vic’s defense.
Don’t hold your breath.
Why would I hold my breath?
Wish him the best, just not against the Eagles.
Don’t worry, most likely will be on the bench or IR.
Addition by subtraction
I don’t get this for the 49ers. If they wanted to acquire a DE that was a Healthy Scratch in Superbowl 59, they could have just signed Josh Uche and saved millions of dollars.
Saleh got a lot out of him in NY and is now the DC in SF. Chances are he’ll utilize him better than Philly
Lol this bum is overpaid, overrated, undersized outside linebacker,the 29ers got ripped by Howie.
Man just stop it. He was a bad fit in Philly but he’s far from a bum.
Itsnotimportant to me what this take from you entails, 10 sacks in the rotten apple means nothing on the bottom of barrel, couldn’t live up to his contract in Philly for lots and lots of reasons, most importantly? He’s a undersized, outside linebacker, 1 trick pony who was exposed when asked to do more in Fangios system. You are dismissed.
“You are dismissed”
Haha. Why do people talk this way online?
It seems to be a general delusional behavior that many people do to different degrees. The primary delusion is that “my opinion really matters and I should share!”
Howie realizing the bad fit. Addition by subtraction…. savings on the salary cap to go toward Carter or additional line help. Good move for both teams….
There’s no significant savings.. 2.4 this yr and 16mill dead cap next year
Oh great. Another non-offensive lineman
No one is trading good offensive linemen. All you could get are just more backup quality. And Eagles, for example, probably had the best oline last year. Olines across the league are down. Drafting olinemen after 1st or 2nd round probably gets backup quality. The oline last year was decent but yes not great. Number 3 run game I believe. Dline was horrible. Bottom 5 in most analyses. You just don’t see starting tackles or centers available. Just backups which niners have many
didnt tunsil just get traded a month or two ago?
Yea he said good offensive lineman. You can bring up Tunsil when people ask about trading for overrated, overpaid, 2nd most penalized linemen.
Then vs now. Very different points in off-season. Tho I will say there may be some available as camps look to reduce payroll. Similar to Huff becoming available. However, will still talking about backups.
But Tunsil is a bad example since he plays same position as Trent Williams. Add that Tunsil is penalized a lot.
SF could’ve just signed Clowney
Clowney is closer to done than a 7 sack season.
I mean Huff has only had one season over 4 sacks. Heck he has only had one season with more than 20 combined tackles which is AWFUL. When I have seen him play he has been a non factor against the run game too. Clowney wouldn’t have required draft capital and possibly cheaper salary. I assume when all is said and done both are just a one year band-aid anyways.
I’m glad Howie has moved on from really the only
really poor move he made last off-season. Huff never really fit in Philly and the Eagles minimized their hit to the salary cap. This will likely add to the 12 draft picks next year which will give Howie lots of flexibility to move up in the draft or trade for a veteran. Good move for the Eagles and probably worth a shot for the 49ers because of his previous relationship with Saleh.
Howie’s lucky he has an owner who’s willing to fund all these “dead cap hits” he’s creating with his roster changes…..sooner or later the bill comes due…..
Nobody masters the cap better than Howie. Give credit where credit is due.
I suspect Saleh can get more out of him. How much more? Hard to tell.
Last time he played for him, he had a career year and cash it in with the Eagles.
Saleh certainly couldn’t get “much more out of” most of the Jet players while he was a HC there….just goes to show, that some are meant to be coordinators and not HC’s because the job demands are just different….Saleh may in fact be a much better coordinator than HC…..
Let’s get to the really important question here…why is there a Duff beer but no Huff beer?
Wasn’t Huff dating one of the guys on the Eagles? I wonder if they broke up?
Thank goodness the 49ers were there to take him. Huff was not only terrible last year, having him sit again was going to be bad in the locker room. That Superbowl week interview he did, was one of the dumbest things I’ve seen a Philadelphia Eagles player do. Who admits to ‘only signed to get a bag’ while still playing for the team?
Someone who realizes that the game day fit in the playback that’s match….
Yep, a SB ring that he will probably keep in a jacket in his closet. Got paid but didnt do much. Better learn to play the run or might not get alot of snaps in Clara …