Eagles Rising Star Angling For Blockbuster Payday

The Philadelphia Eagles should be keeping a close eye on the cornerback market right now.

The New York Jets just signed Sauce Gardner to a historic long-term extension worth $120.4 million across four seasons. That's an annual average of $30.1 million after just three NFL season. The Eagles have a superstar of their own who is going to get paid like it one day soon.

Quinyon Mitchell only has played one season, but ESPN already has him ranked as the ninth-best corner in the entire NFL.

"Mitchell, the youngest player still left on this list, turns 24 tomorrow, signaling the Eagles have the outside covered for years to come," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said. "Mitchell was stellar in the predraft process in 2024 and continued that momentum throughout his rookie season. When a receiver catches a pass in Mitchell's vicinity, he doesn't go far. Mitchell allowed an average of 1.5 yards after catch as the nearest defender in coverage last season, the fewest by any player with at least 30 targets. The next closest was Surtain at 1.9. In three playoff games, Mitchell allowed seven yards after the catch on five receptions.

"'Loved him coming out -- heard a lot about him throughout the season, and it looked like teams tried to find ways to throw away from him,' an NFL coordinator said. 'He proved to be able to handle 1s.' This was true. The Eagles' defense under Vic Fangio often squeezed the middle of the field, leaving corners with chunks of space to cover. Mitchell faced 76 targets as a result, yet he deflected 12 of those passes for a 15.8 percent ball-hawking rate. Veteran corner Darius Slay (76 targets) did help by holding up well on the other side. 'His biggest thing is confidence,' an NFL passing game coordinator said. 'He barely played press in college but got in people's pockets. He got really good at that.'"

Mitchell is still two full seasons away from getting to the point that Gardner is at, but the Eagles should be keeping a close eye on the market already.