Former $16 Million First Round Pick Gets Bad News on Future With Eagles

While the Philadelphia Eagles may have made a big move to trade for offensive lineman Kenyon Green, the franchise made it clear to the former first round pick that if he wants a future wearing green, he better perform in 2025.

The Eagles turned down the fifth year option on Green’s rookie contract on May 1, denying him what would have been a guaranteed $16.685 million payday in 2026.

“Green was acquired in March in a trade with the Texans that sent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Houston.” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on May 1. “He missed the 2023 season with a shoulder injury and missed time with injury last season as well. He has started 23 games when healthy, but ended last season on the bench and that makes the Eagles’ decision a fairly unsurprising one.”

While Green will get a chance to show what kind of player he is to the Super Bowl champions, it’s the Eagles who would up in a strange spot when it came to fifth year options in 2025.

While Philadelphia only had one first round pick in 2022 with defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who they picked up his fifth year option at a price tag of $12.9 million, they turned down fifth year options on a pair of 2022 first round picks they obtained in trades with Green and wide receiver Jahan Dotson.

Green Gets Fresh Start With Philadelphia

Green was part of an exodus of offensive linemen in Houston to the NFC East, with 4-time Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil traded to the Washington Commanders and Green shipped to the Eagles along with a 2026 fifth round pick in exchange for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth round pick.

The biggest problem for Green has been availability, which might not be as big of a problem surrounded by the NFL’s best offensive line — along with missing the entire 2023 season he also missed 2 games as a rookie in 2022 and 5 games in 2024.

In no small way, Green will be playing for his NFL future in 2025 because he’s now in the final season of his 4-year, $15.95 million rookie contract. Lucky for him, there’s a template in place that lays out a path to succeed.

Eagles Turned Becton From Bust to Big-Time Payday

Green finds himself in almost the exact same position offensive lineman Mekhi Becton — also a former first round pick — found himself in last year.

Selected in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft by the New York Jets in 2020, Becton was a full-time starter as a rookie but only played 1 game over the 2021 and 2022 seasons with knee injuries. He returned in 2023 to play 16 games but was criticized for his play and the Jets declined his fifth-year option — leading him into Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman’s open arms.

Becton signed a 1-year, $2.75 million contract with the Eagles in April 2024 and after a position switch from tackle to guard and a Super Bowl win, Becton was one of the more sought-after guards in NFL free agency and wound up with a 2-year, $20 million contract from the Los Angeles Chargers.