Eagles predicted to trade one of their 25-year-old edge rushers next offseason

The Philadelphia Eagles have built one of the NFL's best defenses, and did so through the NFL Draft with some incredible picks over the last half-decade.

Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean are some absolutely incredible players; all were drafted by Howie Roseman. But there is one issue: it's going to cost a lot to keep them. The Eagles will need to be smart about who to keep.

Amid this conundrum for Roseman and the Eagles, ESPN's Seth Walder is predicting that Roseman will trade away one of the Eagles' 25-year-old edge rushers, Nolan Smith Jr. or Jalyx Hunt, during the 2027 NFL offseason.

Eagles predicted to trade one of Jalyx Hunt or Nolan Smith

"The Eagles will trade Jalyx hunt of Nolan Smith Jr. ahead of the 2027 season," Walder predicts. "They will be entering the final year of their deals and are the second- or third-best pass rusher on the Eagles, in some order, with Greenard aboard."

The Eagles splurged this offseason, trading multiple late Day 2 picks to the Minnesota Vikings for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. He's a nice pickup for the defense and should be a big help for the pass rush.

But his addition likely means that one of Smith or Hunt is going to go. Roseman handed a $100 million contract to Greenard, and it's not really feasible to extend both Smith and Hunt.

So, it makes more sense to trade one next offseason ahead of the final year of their contracts and land some quality draft compensation in return.

Both are 25-year-old edge rushers, though Smith is 54 days older than Hunt. It's a negligible age difference. Both helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl, and both are hitting free agency at the same time.

The big difference, however, is that Smith has played one extra season than Hunt. And, maybe most importantly, Hunt just came off a breakout season.

MORE: Eagles might've already found their Lane Johnson heir after 6-foot-9 rookie Markell Bell

He recorded 6.5 sacks with 52 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six of Carson Wentz, in 17 games last year for the Eagles.

Smith played in 12 games as he dealt with an injury for part of the year, finishing with one forced fumble, 3.0 sacks, 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, and 11 quarterback hits.

Hunt seems like the player Roseman and the Eagles are more likely to keep, as his upside might be higher after his impressive 2025 season in Vic Fangio's defense, as he's still learning the position after a switch in college.

Smith will also save the Eagles more money if they trade him next offseason compared to Hunt, as he'll be on his fifth-year option, while Hunt is just in the last year of his rookie deal.

Walder predicts one of these edge rushers will be traded, and such a move next offseason would make a ton of sense. Of the two, Smith is probably the better player to trade, but for now, Eagles fans should enjoy the 2026 season, as it might be the last with one of these edge rushers.

More NFL news:

• Vikings lose Jamal Adams to brutal season-ending injury
• Cowboys sign 8-time Pro Bowl pass rusher, 2-time Super Bowl champion Von Miller
• Seahawks 2nd-round S Bud Clark gets bad news on starting job for Week 1
• Ja'Kobi Lane's breakout might be real after impressive Ravens preseason debut
• Browns' Shedeur Sanders explains bad turnover against Bears