NEW ORLEANS -- When the Eagles took the stage at Super Bowl LIX Opening Night, Zack Baun found himself in a familiar place.
No, he's never been in a Super Bowl. But Baun spent many Sundays at Caesars Superdome as a member of the New Orleans Saints, the team that selected him with the 74th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Baun traded Saints gold and black for the Eagles' midnight green and black in 2024, leaving the only NFL team he'd known for a chance to be a part of something greater in Philadelphia. Fittingly, that journey led him back to New Orleans, a reality he first confronted when the Eagles traveled to New Orleans for a game against the Saints this season and of which he was reminded Monday night.
He's hoping his next game played in the Big Easy ends up being his greatest of all.
"It was cool obviously being back in the stadium that I played a lot of games in," Baun said Tuesday. "I think I'm pretty numb to the feeling now because we played there earlier in the season, but at the end of this game, I'll really sit there and look up into the stands and think 'wow, this is where it all started.'"
Baun joined the Saints as an edge rusher from Wisconsin, but never quite found his stride with New Orleans while manning the same role along the line of scrimmage. Once he left for Philadelphia, he officially converted to an off-ball linebacker and took flight, earning Pro Football Focus' top coverage grade among all NFL linebackers in 2024.
Baun posted career-best marks across the board in 2024, finishing as the Eagles' leading tackler (150, 11 for loss), 120 more than his previous career-best mark. He recorded five forced fumbles, finishing in a tie for the second-most among all NFL linebackers and becoming one of only two players to record 150-plus tackles and five-plus forced fumbles since 2000. He set a new high in sacks, too, with 3.5, stuffing a résumé that earned him his first All-Pro selection, his first Pro Bowl nod. He is also a finalist for the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
It was an incredible leap from where Baun stood when he left the Saints. It also left many wondering why it took so long for Baun to swap roles.
Baun left New Orleans in search of an opportunity with a proven winner and didn't need much convincing to move to Philadelphia, where the Eagles had already reached a Super Bowl in the previous 24 months and were positioning themselves for another deep run entering 2024. He also knew he needed to find a place that would capitalize on his talents.
It didn't take him long to realize he'd made the right choice.
"They didn't say anything to me (about fit) because I was cool with either, honestly, whether it was on the ball or off the ball," Baun said. "I got here and they're like you're going with Bobby King, the inside linebackers coach, and I'm like 'OK, cool, that's a good start. I'll start at inside linebacker.' And then I ended up asking (defensive coordinator) Vic (Fangio), 'when am I gonna get some snaps outside?' And he was like 'we'll see,' and at that point, I knew."
Some might see it as Baun finding a better fit in Philadelphia, but as he described it Wednesday, it was also the result of work that began well before he became an Eagle, and the opportunity to prove it with his new team.
"I think the play time," Baun said with a laugh Thursday when asked of the differences between New Orleans and Philadelphia. "I wasn't playing nearly as many snaps. Also, coming to Philly, I just was able to feel comfortable. They put me in the starting role right away and I got time on task, really got to work at the craft, worked on tackling, worked on my coverage. I think really good coverage linebackers, the best in the league, (they) really trust their tackling and their tackling in space and that's really helped me."
That trust has produced a remarkable uptick in performance and, as a result, a trip to the game's greatest stage. While his teammates will be playing one of the most important games of their lives in a relatively unfamiliar setting, Baun will have a firm grasp on the lay of the land.
He knows what lies behind the curtain in New Orleans -- and he's hoping the night ends with he and his fellow Eagles sharing the spotlight while hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the world to see.
"It's cool. I love to see the city full of life," he said. "I knew it would be, but they really did it up well here. ... It's cool to be back.
"I can only imagine what it's going to be like in Philly."
