NFL free agency will essentially begin on Monday, March 13, when the NFL will open a two-day window during which teams are permitted to contact and negotiate with free agents. The first day of the new league year, which is the "official" start of free agency, is March 15.

Since we're right around the corner from free agency, let's start tracking reports and rumors that are pertinent to the Philadelphia Eagles. Most recent entries at the top:

Derek Carr is close to a deal with the Saints

Per Mike Garafolo:

Mike obviously meant Derek Carr, not David Carr. I've done that too. Anyway, this news is relevant to the Eagles since they hold the Saints' second round pick in 2024, and will once again be rooting for the Saints to lose as many games as possible in 2023. While Carr is not among the NFL's elite quarterbacks, he is easily a top half of the league starter and the best quarterback the Saints have had since Drew Brees retired.

If the season began today (it doesn't), the following quarterbacks would be the projected starters in the NFC South:

• Saints: Derek Carr
• Buccaneers: Kyle Trask?
• Panthers: Matt Corral? PJ Walker?
• Falcons: Desmond Ridder

The Saints would have the best quarterback in the NFC South, and by a wide margin.

(NOTE: a deal is already done ... https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35797963/sources-saints-front-runners-sign-qb-derek-carr)

Matt Patricia 'has a chance to land on the Eagles' coaching staff'

This isn't so much a free agency report/rumor, but we'll put it here. Per Patriots beat writer Karen Guregian:

Patricia was a good linebackers coach for the Patriots from 2006-2010, but he is perhaps best known among Philly fans as (a) the guy whose defense the Eagles shredded in Super Bowl LII, (b) the guy who didn't win many games as the head coach of the Detroit Lions, and (c) the guy who had a disastrous season as the Pats' offensive coordinator in 2022. Oh, and that he always has a pencil in his ear.

You may also recall that Eagles starting cornerback Darius Slay has on multiple occasions slammed Patricia, who he played for in Detroit from 2018-2020. I mean, the latest instance was less than a month ago.

I believe that the Eagles heavily value team chemistry, and the hiring of Patricia isn't worth a potential locker room disruption.

#JimmySmellTestMeter: 2/10 noses. 👃👃

Brandon Graham is getting attention from other teams, including the Browns

Per Tim McManus of ESPN: 

Graham flourished in a smaller role in 2022, racking up 11 sacks in just 474 snaps. He will turn 35 in April, and he is on record as saying he wants to continue to play in his 14th season in 2023, and possibly even for another season beyond that. He has a complicated contract situation, which is detailed here, but the short-short version is that Graham is likely to be released with a June 1 designation in March, with sizeable dead money hits both in 2023 and 2024. He will then become a free agent, free to sign with any team.

Because he will be released, Graham will not count toward the compensatory pick formula, meaning that the Eagles will get nothing in return if they lose him. It's hard to imagine Graham playing anywhere other than Philly, and in my opinion he feels likely to sign back with the team after being June 1 released, much like Fletcher Cox did last offseason.

That said, it's certainly not surprising that Graham is generating interest, particularly from the Browns, who hired Jim Schwartz to be their defensive coordinator this offseason. If he gets blown away by some crazy offer, anything can happen.

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2023-free-agency-rumor-report-tracker-tampering-signings-updates-news-latest-howie-roseman-nfc-east/