NEW ORLEANS — Bryce Huff’s paychecks and production keep falling out of whack.
Huff was one of the NFL’s best bargains during the 2023 season, when he compiled 10 sacks while making $4.3 million for the Jets.
He parlayed his well-timed breakthrough into a three-year, $51 million, free-agent contract with the Eagles, and it’s been nothing but frustration ever since.
“I haven’t changed one bit,” Huff told The Post. “It’s not like I have to become that dominant player again. I’m him right now. I’m still him.”
Huff hasn’t been a good fit as a linebacker in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme.
He lost a starting job to Nolan Smith, missed five games recovering from November wrist surgery, managed just 2.5 sacks in 12 regular-season games then played just one total snap in the Eagles’ first two playoff victories.
How much he will be used Sunday in Super Bowl 2025 remains to be seen.
“It was almost unreal how it’s been one thing after another,” Huff told The Post. “I’m going to keep grinding because that’s what I can control. Hopefully, I do find a way to get more playing time one way or another next year.”
Huff made no secret at the end of his Jets tenure that he was seeking a life-changing contract. He earned $2.3 million total over his first three seasons because he began his career as a wage-controlled undrafted rookie.
“Football is about more than money,” Huff said. “But I had to make that decision for my family. Regardless of scheme, regardless of fit, regardless of city, I was going to take the most money because I worked my tail off and you don’t get that many opportunities in this game to secure a bag like that. I had to jump at the opportunity. I don’t really have any regrets.”
No Jets fan would have believed at this time last year that Mekhi Becton would be a high-end starting guard for the Eagles but Huff would be a non-factor.
If the then-Jets trio of head coach Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton had their way in a salary-cap-free world, Huff would’ve been retained. He was their pᴀssion project, even though he was inherited from the Adam Gase regime.
“They get a ton of credit for my development,” Huff said. “You can work your a– off but if [people] don’t have a vision for you as a player, you are not going to get anywhere. You are going to be running in place. When I paired my work ethic with their plan and their scheme, it took my career to a new level.”
Fangio called for Huff to be better against the run in October and said “that’s something that he hadn’t really been asked to do in the past.”
With Saleh (49ers defensive coordinator), Ulbrich (Falcons defensive coordinator) and Whitecotton (Cowboys defensive line coach) now spread out, Huff could be a wanted commodity elsewhere if the Eagles are ready to declare a sunk investment.
Until his future crystallizes?
“It means a lot to me to be here with my guys,” Huff said.
