The Philadelphia Eagles are already being crowned as winners of the NFL offseason three months after falling agonisingly short at Super Bowl LVII.
Last month, franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts, who led them to the championship game, signed now the second-largest contract in the league and is tied down for the next five years at $51m-a-season. The Eagles are also widely credited with 'winning' last week's draft, highlighted by adding Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick.
It is a far cry from how they entered free agency, with the franchise slated to lose plenty of players, and they have, shedding $163m (£130m) in salary. The front office, though, have managed to manoeuvre into a position of strength for another postseason run.
Ten players headed elsewhere in the league, plus four more remain free agents, which saw $218.4m in salary come off the Eagles' books. Remarkably those outgoing have been replaced with players incurring a salary hit of $55.4m.
Retaining cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry, alongside Hurts, was crucial. Keeping veterans Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham was also a no-brainer for the organisation.
While young talents C.J. Gardner-Johnson and T.J. Edwards have departed, the Eagles have used the market to focus resources elsewhere. Last year's third-round pick Nakobe Dean is poised to fill Edwards' void. Carter is also a replacement at defensive tackle for Javon Hargrave at a fraction of the price on a rookie-scale deal.
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The Eagles have undoubtedly got younger over the offseason. Alongside this year's draft picks, they can also call on the 2022 draftees, like Dean, who effectively redshirted last season due to the depth of veteran talent on the roster.
An influx of youth also offsets the younger talent they let go of in free agency after opting to bring back their veteran presences instead. Miles Sanders is another who fits that bracket and never looked likely to stay in Philly.
Filling that hole, the Eagles swung a trade for the Detroit Lions' D'Andre Swift, adding to their growing collection of former Georgia Bulldogs. Rashaad Penny also arrived in free agency to reassemble the running back room and offset Sanders' departure.
Such turnover following a Super Bowl run seems stark on paper; a lack of continuity could become a factor once the 2023 season starts in September. Player development will be crucial to their success and decide whether the recruits can outperform last season's crop.
On that front, the jury is still out during the offseason. But shedding such significant salary and allowing themselves to keep franchise cornerstone Hurts for the foreseeable future, plus several other veterans positions themselves for another postseason run.
Three months after falling short against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles are again a popular pick for postseason success. Three points were the difference in Glendale, Arizona; whether these moves bridge that gap remains to be seen.
