Success comes with a price in professional sports, and the Philadelphia Eagles are well aware of that following their Super Bowl 59 victory.
A player adding a championship ring usually looks attractive to suitors, meaning winning the Lombardi Trophy last month resulted in several Eagles free agents attracting outside attention. Defensive linemen Milton Williams and Josh Sweat just signed four-year contracts that combine for $180.4 million while cornerback Darius Slay left to join the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year, $10 million deal.
As it turns out, Eagles fans can add another defender to that list as of Friday.
Eagles News: CB Avonte Maddox Signs With Lions in Free Agency
The Detroit Lions have signed former Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox, according to NFL insider Ari Meirov. The deal was reported when Maddox's girlfriend Iman Williams shared a picture on social media of the veteran ballhawk putting pen to paper, which Meirov shared in his post.
"I told Avonte at the beginning of last season that I knew he'd end up at the Lions next season. He looked at me like I was crazy because out of all the teams in the NFL, how could I be so sure," Williams wrote in her post. "Honestly, I was sure because I knew it would be best for us."
The #Lions are signing former #Eagles CB Avonte Maddox. pic.twitter.com/JCD4rIDAuq
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 21, 2025
Maddox, 28, has spent his entire NFL career with the Eagles after being drafted 125th overall in 2018. The former Pittsburgh product's new contract will bring him to Detroit, where he was born and played high school football before committing to the Panthers for his collegiate run.
Maddox was once viewed as an integral piece of the Eagles' CB room, starting in 23 of his 35 appearances across his first three seasons. Unfortunately, a plethora of injuries combined with Philadelphia's cornerback depth improving caused the ex-fourth-rounder to fall out of favor, resulting in only 13 starts across 30 outings since the start of 2022.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl, but it wasn't likely Maddox played a big role in last season's success. He went from playing 213 defensive snaps in his first four games to 132 across the next 13, with the majority of those opportunities coming when he played 52 snaps with most key defenders sidelined in Week 18.
Maddox's role further dwindled when the postseason arrived, suiting up for only 13 defensive snaps in four playoff outings. In other words, it isn't shocking that the Eagles couldn't find a good reason to re-sign him this offseason.
Fans who are already missing Maddox won't have to wait long for a reunion. The Lions are already confirmed to be one of the Eagles' home opponents in 2025, meaning an exact return date be known when the full schedule is revealed in the next month or two.
In the meantime, Philadelphia's outlook is still positive in oddsmakers' eyes. The Eagles are currently FanDuel Sportsbook's +650 favorite to win Super Bowl 60, whereas the Lions sit fifth at +900 odds.
More Philadelphia Eagles News & Rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.