The Philadelphia Eagles followed up their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs with a dysfunctional 2025 season that culminated with a wild-card round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. One of the issues that plagued the Eagles last season was the inconsistent play of kicker Jake Elliott, who was once considered one of the most reliable kickers in the entire league.
While financial implications may make it tough for the Eagles to split with Elliott, Philadelphia could be tempted to make some changes if it truly wants to. According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Miami Dolphins are now expected to release kicker Jason Sanders "after the two sides could not agree on a contract." That is especially noteworthy considering Sanders has made 27 consecutive field goals and each of his last nine from at least 50 yards.
That level of play from Sanders could easily tempt the Eagles to pursue him in free agency. However, if they cut Elliott with a post-June 1 designation, it would leave the team with a dead-cap hit of just over $7 million and a $2.1 million salary-cap charge. That would certainly complicate things for the Eagles as they look to improve their kicking situation heading into next season.
Impending Free Agent Jason Sanders Could Throw a Wrench in Jake Elliott's Future
Elliott's recent performance shows how quickly everything can change in the NFL. During his rookie season in 2017, the fifth-round pick out of Memphis booted a 61-yard field goal and was one of the most consistent kickers in the league through 2023. During that span, Elliott made at least 83.9 percent of his attempts in all but one of those seasons and converted 26 from at least 50 yards out.
The last two seasons, though, have produced much different results. Elliott only made 20 of his 27 field-goal attempts last season and 28-of-36 in 2024. He even missed a crucial extra point in the wild-card loss to the 49ers, which proved to be extremely costly in what turned out to be a four-point game. Despite those struggles, general manager Howie Roseman has expressed confidence in his kicker.
"Jake has been a tremendous kicker for us since we got him off (the) practice squad in Cincinnati in 2017," Roseman said at the NFL Scouting Combine, per Cayden Steele of NJ.com. "Tremendously clutch. Have a lot of confidence in him as a player, as a kicker, as a person, a captain on our team and continue to believe in him as our place kicker."
That does not guarantee anything, as we have seen how things can always change in the NFL. Even if the Eagles still believe in their kicker, and it may be difficult to let him go due to the financial ramifications of such a decision, they would be wise to at least have some training camp competition for him.
Regardless of what the Eagles decide, the potential availability of Sanders could impact which direction they go. Given his recent success, the Eagles may want to strongly consider trying anything they can to give him a shot.