Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has what Joe Burrow wants, and not just a Super Bowl ring that his Cincinnati Bengals came a field goal shy of winning in 2022.
As Hurts and the Eagles look to defend the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi Trophy, general manager Howie Roseman has set his Super Bowl MVP quarterback up with the kind of weapons that even surpass the dynamic duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins that Burrow has on the receiving end of his passes.
Not only does Hurts get to look to his left and see reigning Offensive Player of The Year Saquon Barkley standing beside him in the backfield, but receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert are among the premier collection of pass catchers in the sport.
It’s all by design by Roseman, and a model Burrow says he wishes the Bengals would emulate to follow in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl path.
“Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who brought up Philadelphia as a prototype,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell writes. For what he wanted his own team to do. “The Eagles are paying everybody,” Burrow said in February. “That seems like the way. Whatever they’re doing.”
While the Eagles boast plenty of talent on defense, and just paid All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun $51 million over the next three years, to keep the playmaker in place off the most productive season of his career, Barnwell points out that Philadelphia is set to spend the 17th most in the league on defense, it’s the offense where Roseman is breaking the bank.
“Burrow was (and remains) absolutely correct [about the Eagles’ spending on offense],” Barnwell points out. “The Eagles fielded the most expensive offense in NFL history, as they paid out $193.9 million to their offensive stars. There have been no cutbacks this offseason. With center Cam Jurgens becoming the latest standout to sign an extension and running back Saquon Barkley earning a raise after his spectacular debut season in Philadelphia, the Eagles really are paying just about everyone. The only starters on their offense who aren’t going to be on something resembling a market-value veteran deal are right guard Tyler Steen and tight end Grant Calcaterra, both of whom are on rookie contracts.
“Roseman is set to spend a whopping $217.3 million on the offensive side of the ball in 2025. That’s $30 million more than any other team.”
In addition to spending big, the Eagles have paid to retain their own homegrown talent, such as Hurts, Smith, Goedert, offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Jurgens while managing to surround Hurts with arguably the deepest offense in football even after signing him to his second contract.
Cincinnati paid a premium to keep Chase and Higgins, inking both to record-setting deals, but few front offices have done more to surround their quarterback with elite homegrown talent across the board.
If building around a star quarterback is the blueprint, the Eagles aren’t just following it, they’re redefining it. And the rest of the NFL, including Burrow’s Bengals, would be smart to be taking notes.
Defense Delivered for Philadelphia Eagles
What is perhaps most impressive about Roseman and the Eagles’ big-spending on offense is the fact that it was the defense that paved the road to New Orleans and ultimately a Super Bowl championship last season.
In defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s first season at the helm, the Eagles finished first in total defense, while only the Los Angeles Chargers allowed fewer points per game than Philadelphia’s 17.8 before turning in one of the more impressive performances in Super Bowl history against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
As the 2025 season approaches, Pro Football Focus NFL analysts Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick ranked every roster across the league, with the Eagles atop the list while pointing out that the defense was the biggest strength of the 2024 championship team.
“So much went right for the Eagles,” Wasserman and Chadwick point out for PFF. “During their incredible championship run. Chief among their accomplishments is that their defense led the NFL in PFF overall grade and PFF coverage grade while placing second in PFF pass-rush grade and PFF run-defense grade. Philadelphia lost a handful of key contributors this offseason but should still boast an elite defensive unit under Vic Fangio in 2025.”
Roseman and the Eagles have a longstanding philosophy that winning along both lines of scrimmage is critical to success, but in the Super Bowl, it was rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean and a secondary that improved dramatically as the season went along that played a starring role.
Whether the Philadelphia can replicate the success on defense in 2025 after departure of key contributors such as defensive lineman Milton Williams and edge rusher Josh Sweat remains to be seen. But, that the Eagles’ defense thrived despite $51 million free agent signing Bryce Huff being a non-factor is a testament to the talent that was already in place on that side of the ball.
Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator Offers Glimpse of Scheme
Following Kellen Moore’s departure to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints, it would be understandable if new Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo added some of his own wrinkles to Philadelphia’s offensive scheme.
However, it sounds as if Patullo plans on leaning on his experience working alongside head coach Nick Sirianni and his familiarity with the Eagles’ personnel to keep things rolling as similar as possible to the system Philadelphia ran last season.
“I think it’s going to be like what do our players do best?,” Patullo told reporters on May 28. “Like it’s been, and then from there we just expand upon it. Hey, we’re really good at this. Let’s bring this to the table and try this and see where we can take it.
“I think really when you look at just our staff as a whole, we’ve added some new coaches, so they bring some other layers to it too and the knowledge of what they have from their background. I think as we go forward, as we build this thing together as a staff, you’ll see some new wrinkles here and there, but more so it’s just kind of building on what our players do best.”
Given the personnel that Patullo has at his disposal, after the Eagles’ spending spree and strong drafting in recent years, keeping continuity in scheme could be the key to making it all pay off.
