It’s a testament to how the Philadelphia Eagles have been assembled that when we talk about their weaknesses headed into the 2025 season, the discussion becomes about things that seem like borderline minutiae.
Such is life for the defending world champions, who we last saw stomping the Kansas City Chiefs into the turf at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in Super Bowl LIX.
One of the few weaknesses the Eagles do have is at safety, where controversial star and former NFL interceptions leader C.J. Gardner-Johnson is gone after a trade to the Houston Texans.
Current starting safeties Sydney Brown and Reed Blankenship don’t inspire the same confidence as Gardner-Johnson did. Rookie Andrew Mukuba, a 2025 second round pick, might be able to take the same leap as a rookie that cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean did in 2024. But that’s not a guarantee.
That’s why the Eagles should move quickly to sign a proven free agent — and a cost effective one — with former Super Bowl champion Jordan Whitehead.
Whitehead started every game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 on the way to winning a Super Bowl and started 12 games for the Buccaneers in 2024, missing 5 games due to an injury to his pectoral muscle and a car accident.
Buccaneers Declined Second-Year Option on Whitehead
The Buccaneers made a salary cap move to decline the second year option on the 2-year, $9 million contract he signed before the 2024 season.
“After a great 2023 campaign, Whitehead battled both a pec injury, and an unfortunate car accident through 2024, putting his immediate figure with the organization in a bit of question,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote on February 20. “The 2025 portion of his 2 year, $9M contract was always going to be a bit of an ‘option’ and Tampa Bay can free up $4.5M of cap by moving on this March.”
While Whitehead missed a career high 5 games in 2024, he still started all 12 games he played in and finished with 79 tackles and 3 pass deflections. The Buccaneers’ struggles in the secondary seemed more of a result of his and Antoine Winfield Jr.’s prolonged absence than anything else — Winfield missed a career high 8 games after earning NFL All-Pro honors in 2024.
Before Whitehead injured his pec, he was second on the team with 76 tackles. He was on his second stint in Tampa Bay after starting every game for 2 seasons for the New York Jets in 2022 and 2023 on a 2-year, $15 million contract.
Through 7 seasons, Whitehead has approximately $22.1 million in career earnings.
Eagles Don’t Have Long Term Certainty at Safety Position
Whitehead is worth bringing in for the Eagles because he can provide a veteran safety and is still a reliable starter — not a standout — but can also be had on a deal that’s likely in the range of a 1-year, $3 million contract.
While Blankenship might be one of the solutions for 2024, he’s also likely going to be one of the NFL’s more sought after safeties in free agency in 2026 — money the Eagles have shown they will be loathe to spend after going big on NFL All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun (3 years, $51.1 million) in 2025 free agency and staring down a record-setting contract for NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the 2026 free agency cycle.
