Zack Baun grew up in Wisconsin and played the first four years of his NFL career in New Orleans, but he gets Philly.

On his first official day as a Philadelphia Eagle, Baun toured the NovaCare Complex wearing sneakers with a Kelly Green trim. Before he went into the Draft Room to sign his one-year contract, Baun was greeted by former Eagles linebacker and current Director of Player Development Connor Barwin, who reminded him of their visit at the Senior Bowl prior to the 2020 NFL Draft.

Once inside the Draft Room, Baun inked his deal and reflected on the road to get where he is at today.

"It's truly special. Coming into the league, I dreamed that I would make it to this point and finally got the opportunity to put the pen to the paper and start a new chapter for me," Baun said.

A new chapter, indeed. In addition to the new deal, new city, he and his wife, Ali, are expecting their first child, a son, next month.

"It's a big, big, big next few months for me starting from this day moving forward and that's why we do what we do, to support our family and build our legacy that lives on," Baun added.

For Baun, it all came down to taking advantage of the opportunities in front of him. At Brown Deer (Wisconsin) High School, Baun was the top senior quarterback in the state – the humble Baun, who scored 59 total touchdowns that year, said that he was a running back playing the position. He earned a scholarship to Wisconsin and was moved to the defensive side of the ball. He evolved into a pass-rush force who became the first consensus All-American linebacker in program history when he started all 14 games and ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (12.5) in 2019.

A third-round pick of the Saints in 2020, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Baun was a hybrid off-ball linebacker who aided in pass rush as well. He worked his way up the depth chart – his hustle and work ethic shined on special teams as he bided his time for a bigger role on defense. He played a career-high 301 snaps on defense this past season, nearly as much as his first three seasons combined. The Saints allowed Baun to flash his versatility and he rewarded them with career highs across the board with 27 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception.

"I think it was the opportunity, the opportunity that I was just waiting for. In practice, I really put myself out there to try to get in those situations. I knew I had something inside of me that I could show if I just got out on the field," Baun said. "If you get the opportunities and you don't take advantage of them, then you can be left high and dry at your own expense. I got the opportunities. I got the opportunity to play for a great team and a great organization."

Baun chose the Eagles on the first day of free agency because of the culture of the organization and the city.

"It's a gritty city and the fans are passionate," Baun said. "They love the team. They love the sports. They've always got your back and are always gonna ride with you."