Do Eagles have what it takes to become a dynasty?

Behind the microphone shortly after the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, Saquon Barkley thought back to the beginning of his career. The ups and downs it took to get to the mountaintop.

Then he thought about his first day in an Eagles huddle, looking around him and seeing Pro Bowlers and All-Pros. He admitted he didn’t expect the Eagles to have the NFL’s best defense in 2024 but he also admitted that, with hindsight about how many fits that defense gave his star-studded offense in training camp, maybe he should have expected it.

“Why not start our dynasty now?” Barkley said.

The Eagles have been one of the most successful teams in the NFL over the last decade but they haven’t been a dynasty. Getting to 3 Super Bowls in 8 years and winning 2 is great but it doesn’t quite rise to that level.

The question is … can they actually become a dynasty?

And the answer is … yeah, it’s possible.

We got a good reminder of that on Wednesday when word came down that the Eagles and Dallas Goedert were closing in on terms to keep the talented tight end on the roster in 2025. After an offseason of tough decisions aimed at solidifying the long-term welfare of the team, the move to keep Goedert is one that might only help the Eagles for this season. But that’s OK. Because the Eagles have a really good shot at winning Super Bowl LX.

Despite losing talent this offseason, the Eagles will return 17 of 22 starters from Super Bowl LIX, including 10 of 11 on the offensive side of the ball. The five starters who are no longer here are Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, Oren Burks, Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. And while Milton Williams wasn’t technically a starter in the Super Bowl, that loss is obviously a big one too.

But it’s not like the Eagles are suddenly devoid of talent. They just had to prioritize during this offseason. So they lost guys like Williams and Sweat but re-signed Zack Baun. They took care of Cam Jurgens. And they put themselves in position to eventually lock up key homegrown talent like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith and Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

They already have a bunch of key players signed through the next few seasons and a head coach and defensive coordinator pairing that seems to really work.

Then in the draft, they selected a consensus top-15 talent in Jihaad Campbell at pick No. 31 overall after medical concerns had him falling and then drafted a potential starting safety in the second round.

After all that, the Eagles are still the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season, according to DraftKings:

Eagles: +650
Bills: +700
Ravens: +700
Chiefs: +700
Lions: +1000

Just eight franchises have ever successfully defended a Super Bowl title, but no team has ever had a three-peat. The Eagles preserved that by taking down the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

Here’s a look at all of the teams who have won back-to-back Super Bowls:

Chiefs: 2022-23
Patriots: 2003-04
Broncos: 1997-98
Cowboys: 1992-93
49ers: 1988-89
Steelers: 1978-79
Steelers: 1974-75
Dolphins: 1972-73
Packers: 1966-67

The term “dynasty” means different things to different people. But of those teams listed above, the Chiefs went to 5 super Bowls in 6 seasons and won 3. The Patriots won 3 in 4 years and later won 3 in 5 years. The Cowboys won 3 in 4 years. The 49ers won 3 in 9 years and the Steelers of the 70s won 4 in 6 seasons.

The Eagles have been twice in three years with one win. But they’re working on getting back.

What has stood out about the Eagles’ offseason after winning this Super Bowl is that they’ve operated differently than the last time they won a Super Bowl off the 2017 season. The 2018 offseason was all about running it back and that process lasted into the following offseason too. This time around, the Eagles seemed better prepared to make tough decisions and they also had a younger team that could naturally be together longer.

The oldest projected starter on the Eagles’ defense this year is the 28-year-old Baun.

The Eagles aren’t just set up for this year. They’re set up well beyond. Here’s a look at key players signed through the next few seasons, not including the 2025 rookie class, which will be signed through 2028:

Through 2026: Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, Tyler Steen, Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo, Tanner McKee, Moro Ojomo

Through 2027: Lane Johnson, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt

Through 2028: Jalen Hurts, Jordan Mailata, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, Landon Dickerson, Jake Elliott

Through 2029: A.J. Brown, Cam Jurgens

Of course, none of this guarantees a dynasty. There’s a reason why it’s rare for teams to win back-to-back championships and there’s a reason why no team has ever won three in a row.

There are plenty of questions about this team.

Will they be able to deal with the loss of talent? Was the decision to promote Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator a wise one? Will the tougher schedule hold them back? How do they handle having a weekly target on their backs?

We’ll get answers to those questions beginning on Sept. 4, when the Eagles kick off the 2025 season. After winning a Super Bowl, expectations are high again this season and for the next few years. The Eagles have all the makings of a dynasty … now they just have to do it.

“It’s all a journey,” Hurts said the morning after the Super Bowl in New Orleans. “I’ve still yet to arrive. We’ve still yet to arrive as a team. We’ve just enjoyed everything, put forth the effort and it’s taken us here. There’s no destination to it.”