Cooper DeJean just became the latest Eagles defensive player to get more costly

Negotiations for NFL free agents start today. The new league year begins Wednesday. The Eagles have so many critical decisions to make for their 2026 roster, and yet already, their 2027 offseason has become a challenge.

Last week, the Rams and Chiefs made a trade that will have ramifications on the entire NFL, but especially the Eagles.

The Rams forked over a first-round pick and three other picks – including a future third – to the Chiefs in exchange for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, helping the Rams shore up their biggest weakness (outside of an incompetent special teams) and gear up for Matthew Stafford's last Super Bowl run.

The rebuilding Chiefs avoided paying top-market money to a player who's been spectacular for them, but wasn't a necessity as the team looks to bounce back from a horrific 2025 and build back up in 2026 so they can really spend for 2027 and beyond.

The Rams then did the Eagles – and other NFL teams – no favors Monday by extending McDuffie's contract to make him the highest-paid cornerback in the game – a reported four-year deal worth $124 million over four seasons, at an average of $31 million per season.

McDuffie, who has made one Pro Bowl and has once been named first-team All-Pro in four seasons since being picked 21st overall, is a terrific corner who has played outside and nickelback, both at high levels. He's a Super Bowl champion with an NFL-most 13 pass breakups in 10 playoff games.

Is he as good as Patrick Surtain II and Derek Stingley Jr.? That's debatable.

But that question isn't relevant, because he's now making more per year than both of them, along with Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner, the previous three highest-paid corners in the game.

So if you think this offseason is complicated for Howie Roseman, the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations, imagine what he'll be dealing with next offseason.

Not only will Quinyon Mitchell, already considered one of the game's best outside corners after just two seasons, be eligible for an extension for the first time, but so will Cooper DeJean, a versatile hybrid corner like McDuffie who has played inside and outside at a high level in Vic Fangio's defense.

McDuffie's $31 million annually means the rate for Mitchell next season will be higher, as salaries rise every year with the growing cap. Mitchell is one of the game's few corners who travels with the opponent's best receiver. Last year, Fangio frequently rolled his post safety to the side opposite Mitchell to give more protection for Adoree' Jackson, which essentially left Mitchell in "zero coverage" – meaning no help – against his receiver.

Mitchell just basically needs to play at the same level he's played the last two years to guarantee a payday better than McDuffie's haul.

And then what for DeJean?

Slot cornerbacks typically make less money than outside corners, unless they're elite and move around. DeJean, like McDuffie and like Ravens All-Pro Marlon Humphrey, is an elite hybrid defensive back who joined Mitchell as a first-team All-Pro in his second season.

In 2020, the Ravens signed Humphrey to a five-year extension that made him the second highest-paid corner in the game, behind Jalen Ramsey.

DeJean played just 57 percent of his 2025 snaps in the slot, a drop from 70 percent as a rookie. Fangio played DeJean on the outside in base downs, because DeJean is a better tackler and more physical player against the run than Adoree' Jackson is. DeJean could be asked to play even more outside snaps in 2026 if Fangio isn't thrilled with whoever Roseman signs to play opposite Mitchell.

Can the Eagles really afford to have two cornerbacks – or one outside, one hybrid – each making north of $30 million by this time next season?

Keep in mind, the Eagles just gave a top-market extension to defensive tackle Jordan Davis on Sunday and will also have to consider an extension next offseason for edge rusher Jalyx Hunt. They also could be looking to lock in two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter if the team and Carter don't reach an extension sooner.

If the team and Carter do reach an extension this offseason, that still means Carter will be among the sport's highest-paid at his position, if not No. 1 overall.

And we're not even yet certain what will happen at the edge position, which the Eagles always prioritize and is one of the NFL's costliest positions.

Roseman is a cap wizard, but even he has admitted that he can't pay everyone, which is why Carter's name is reportedly being floated around in trade circles, and you might find Nolan Smith's name arise in them soon, too.

Only two NFL teams currently have two corners making top-market money. Per overthecap.com, the Browns are the only team with two corners among the top 10 highest paid, based on average annual salary – Denzel Ward (20.1M) and Tyson Campbell (19.1M). The Colts are close, with Gardner at $30.1 million annually and Charvarius Ward at $18 million annually.

The common bond? Neither has a quarterback making top-market money like the Eagles have, which indirectly makes 2026 a really big season for Jalen Hurts, who carries a cap number of $42 million in 2027 that will probably change under a new deal so long as the Eagles believe he will be their starter in 2028.

Everyone knows Roseman can do a masterclass in contract negotiations, but he's also never had two young corners with as much ability as Mitchell and DeJean, who've already put their talents on display so early in their careers.

Paying Mitchell a top-market salary was always going to be the case after his phenomenal rookie season. But adding DeJean into that conversation creates a conundrum that's a good problem for 2026 but much more complex in 2027.

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