Zack Baun didn't want to leave the Eagles, and the Eagles certainly didn't want him to leave, so it was the right time to get a deal done and avoid the stress and uncertainty of free agency. That's why, in the big picture, Baun didn't give 31 other teams an opportunity to court him as an unrestricted free agent.
He was staying in Philadelphia, and that's what he did on Wednesday, putting his signature on a contract that keeps him an Eagle through the 2027 season.
"I really actually didn't want to leave," Baun said via teleconference with Philadelphia reporters on Wednesday. "What we built here, the culture here, and honestly now that I'm thinking about it, I was just a piece of the puzzle that was put into a great culture already established. The people that work here, the system is in place, everything I felt here this past year just felt right for me and my family as well.
"Really didn't want to leave and appreciated everything we built."
A year made a world of difference for Baun, who last offseason was a free agent after four seasons with New Orleans, a player the Eagles liked for his skill set, but not one with a lot of acclaim. He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles, and as you know, was a key piece in Philadelphia's No. 1-ranked defense that helped bring a second Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia. Along the way, Baun earned All-Pro recognition, was a finalist for the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award and was selected to the Pro Bowl team.
He was a dynamic figure as an inside linebacker, a perfect fit in Vic Fangio's defense and had he reached free agency, he would have been highly coveted.
But that was never going to happen, not with the desire the Eagles had for bringing him back and for his want to stay.
"I think about what we did in one year with so many new pieces, coaches and players included, and I think about my own personal development in that same sense, where if I can move off the ball and play inside linebacker and do what I did and that was my starting point, I'm excited about this team and this defense moving forward," Baun said. "I'm really excited to build on what we did last year."
Baun looks forward to having a "voice" in a defense that will have some new faces. Much of the core remains and that's what is enticing for everyone as Fangio's system evolves in Year 2 with so many eager and young and talented pieces.
There is more growth to be had, Baun said, even after the success of 2024.
"I look at my highlights sometimes and it's hard for me in my football mind and look at the highlights and not think about the plays that I missed during that game," Baun said. "After a game, we win the game by 30 points and all I can think about is the two plays that I let up or the three plays that I had bad coverage. I'm a perfectionist in that way.
"I felt that towards the end of the season that I was playing so confidently that I knew I was going to make a play. I couldn't tell you what it was going to be or when or where, and I'm excited to build off of that confidence and continue to find myself in this scheme."
