The Philadelphia Eagles have announced their eight team captains for the 2025 NFL season as they prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys in their opener. The group includes three new captains: Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, and Reed Blankenship.
Barkley is in his first season as a captain with the Eagles but has held this role for six seasons overall in the NFL. For Baun and Blankenship, it is not only their first time serving as Eagles captains but also their first time being named captains during their professional careers.
“It’s amazing,” said Baun, who joined Philadelphia last season. “It’s awesome. (It’s) better than any achievement I’ve gotten to date. It means a lot because it’s something that’s voted on by my teammates.”
Blankenship made the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has worked up to become a starting safety. He described what it means to be recognized as a leader by both teammates and coaches.
“It’s always been my dream to become a captain, just regardless of where I’m at,” Blankenship said. “I feel like that is one of the best things you can do as a teammate. It goes far beyond just having the ‘C’ on your chest, that’s how I’ve always looked at it. With all my teammates trusting in me and voting for me, it just means the world.
“I think I’ve been a captain at each level of my football career, and I don’t take it lightly. I feel like it’s a big motivator and encouragement for me. Just knowing that my teammates look at me when things aren’t going as planned, it means a lot.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts will serve his fifth season as captain with Philadelphia.
“I think it’s based off of a lot of hard work, a lot of belief in themselves, and determination to be the best they can be,” Hurts said about Blankenship and Baun earning captaincy roles. “That’s earned them the opportunity to have everything in front of them that they have now. They’ve been giving it their all as they’ve been Eagles, and we’re going to continue to build that.”
Barkley previously served five consecutive seasons as captain with the New York Giants before joining Philadelphia ahead of this season.
“You know what type of players we have on this team,” Barkley said about being named an Eagles captain. “Not just the talent, but really mean tremendous leaders.”
“To be able to come here and be captains with such tremendous leaders means a lot to me,” Barkley continued. “But at the same time, leading doesn’t just happen because you have a ‘C’ on your chest. Whether I have a ‘C’ on my chest or not, my mindset, my leadership wasn’t going to stop.”
Hurts noted that every year brings its own changes even for returning leaders: “There’s always a different nuance to your approach while it’s always the same person,” he said. “The person just evolves and grows and is able to take on the lessons throughout getting to this point.”
Kicker Jake Elliott was selected as captain for his fourth year since joining the team in 2017.
“I’ve been around this organization for so long with so many guys that I really respect,” Elliott said. “Just to be in a conversation for that is always really meaningful. And for me, as far as how I handle it, it’s just going to work and visually seeing what I do and the work that I put in every day. And I hope guys can follow that.” – Written by Matt Ryan
Other returning captains include A.J. Brown (third season), Lane Johnson (fourth season), Jordan Mailata (second season), alongside Hurts (fifth) and Elliott (fourth).
