December 30, 2024
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles talks to teammates in a huddle during a NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 15, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The city of Philadelphia has enjoyed exactly two (2008 Phillies and 2017 Eagles) championships over the last 40 years.
How close are we to a third?
A surface level glance at the local teams reveals that at least three major teams in Philly, the Eagles, Sixers and Phillies, are trying to contend right now.
The Eagles are poised to make another postseason run, looking to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. The Phillies have been regular playoff combatants and are running it back for another push next season, also looking for their second World Series trip in four seasons. And the Sixers, fresh off adding Paul George this offseason, are hoping to give Joel Embiid his best shot at a title as he plays into his 30s.
But are these title windows actually open? And if so, how for how long?
Shamus Clancy: The Eagles are in a best of both worlds situation. Title windows in the NFL, and, really, all sports are never as long as imagined, but the Birds are primed for a Super Bowl run this winter and beyond.
They have an in-prime quarterback under contract for the foreseeable future in Jalen Hurts. That's a key, but the main thing that will keep the franchise in contention for the next handful of years is their strength in the trenches. Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox are gone and Lane Johnson will be soon as well, but when the likes of Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jalen Carter and others are already dominating, the Birds will remain in the mix as a well-run organization.
The window: There are one-year ebbs and flows, but let's say through 2027 conservatively.
Adam Aaronson: The time must be now for these Sixers, with nearly an entire salary cap's worth of dollars invested in the 34-year-old George, the 30-year-old Embiid — whose injury history is catching up to him — and Maxey. Thanks to early flashes of stardom from McCain and a few valuable draft picks, the organization's outlook in the longer-term future is no longer rudderless. But if the Sixers win a championship in the next decade, it is extremely difficult to imagine that coming without Embiid leading the way.
Of course, Embiid himself must prove he is capable of remaining healthy for a long season and multiple-month playoff run — and that he can perform at the highest of levels during the biggest moments. Ultimately, whether their short remaining window is a reality or a pipe dream hinges on the 2022-23 NBA MVP.
The window: Could the Sixers reach the NBA Finals and win it all in the next year or two? Given the presence of juggernauts like the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder, plus other teams with stellar talent and fewer questions like the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, it will be a significant uphill battle. But given the makeup of the top of the Sixers' roster, their chances of putting it all together will get slimmer with every passing season.
Evan Macy: If we don't include prospects — Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter are under 25 but have yet to make it to the majors — the Phillies are just like the Sixers and in total win-now mode.
You might not know it from their quiet offseason, but the Phillies inflated payroll boasts a lineup and pitching staff of stars (many of them All-Stars) in their primes, ages 26-34. The Phils have made it to the postseason three years in a row, the fourth longest active such streak in baseball. And yet they have just one pennant and one NL East title — and no World Series championship — to show for it.
The window for the Phillies could be open longer than you think. The team will have upwards of $80 million in salary coming off the books and could revert to form next offseason and become extreme players in free agency again. With Aaron Nola under contract until 2030, Bryce Harper until 2031 and Trea Turner until 2033, there is a very longterm core in place. But the rest of the pieces could be replaced or upgraded over the ensuing seasons.
The window: I would say they have about three or four years left of elite production left from their core.
Nick Tricome: Their window hasn't opened yet, and realistically, it won't for probably another three years, at least. They're building, but they still have a long way to go.
Matvei Michkov is a rising star and a core building block, Tyson Foerster is another young forward piece to the puzzle, and Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim are here long-term as the established veterans, with prospects like Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko in the pipeline as the big future hopefuls, but they need a lot more.
They need center depth badly, and an elite one to play at the top of the lineup, which isn't so easily acquired. They need pure goal-scoring, because outside of Michkov and Konecny, you can see the lack of consistent finishing ability up and down the roster, along with those nights where shots just seem to hit anything but the net. They need to figure out their full defensive picture, too – between getting Emil Andrae and Jamie Drysdale their regular NHL footing, and finding out where prospects like Bonk and Hunter McDonald might fit. And they have to find their direction in goal, whether any of Sam Ersson, Aleksei Kolosov, or Ivan Fedotov offer long-term solutions, or if the answer is down below with the developing names like Carson Bjanarson or Egor Zavragin.
The window: There's still a lot to put together here. They might slip into the playoffs before then, but the true Stanley Cup contention they're shooting for, the Flyers aren't there yet. They won't be for a while.
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