San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff was coming off a career year with the New York Jets when he signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. He had posted a 10-sack season and was projected to be a vital part of the Eagles’ defense in their Championship run.
However, Huff never lived up to the hype and struggled to find his footing in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme, leading to a disappointing season. The 27-year-old recently discussed his split with the defending champions in an interview with SFNiners and revealed he wanted a trade right after he landed in Philly.
Bryce Huff Reveals Why He Wanted a Trade After Signing With the Eagles
Speaking on the split, Huff highlighted scheme fit as the biggest issue; he failed to make an impact in Philly.
“If I’m being 100% honest with you, I wanted a trade like fairly early on,” Huff said. “And just cause of how things went in Philly, I knew pretty early on it wasn’t a fit.
“I knew a trade wasn’t going to happen during the (2024) season. But I talked to my agent about it and was like, when it’s all set and done, I might need to step to put myself in the best position. I kind of knew where it was headed fairly early on into the season.”
Huff found himself wrestling with injuries and inconsistent usage and struggling to fit into Fangio’s defensive scheme, which ultimately pushed him to look for a different destination despite having added a Super Bowl ring to his name. He, however, was inactive during the Super Bowl game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Huff’s 2024 stats tell the story of his struggles. In 12 games played and six games started, he amounted to just 2.5 sacks, 13 tackles, and a forced fumble. Compare that to his 2023 breakout season with the Jets, where he recorded 10 sacks and 67 pressures despite not starting a single game.
Eagles veteran Brandon Graham also highlighted the scheme as a major issue behind Huff’s struggles in Philly.
“With the Jets, it was just that defense, man. I know what it’s like playing in that 4-3, wide-nine, go get it. Every play, it’s always stop the run on the way to the quarterback. That’s the slogan in that type of defense,” Graham explained on the Ross Tucker Podcast.
“I feel like it’s all scheme. I mean, I’ve seen different guys flourish in different systems, and then you see him get in another system [and] it’s different, and what they asked of [Huff] this year, it just wasn’t a great marriage, I would say.”
Ultimately, parting ways was the best for both parties, and they did so on June 2 when he was traded to the 49ers for a conditional mid-round draft pick. The move reunited Huff with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who coached him during his best years with the Jets, setting him up to excel once again.