Eighteen months ago, Zack Baun signed a one-year deal with the Eagles.

Baun had spent his first four NFL seasons on the Saints but came to Philadelphia in part because of how his former teammate at Wisconsin, Andrew Van Ginkel, thrived under Vic Fangio with the Dolphins.

Van Ginkel became a standout edge rusher for Fangio, and that's what Baun envisioned when inking his deal. Then, he got to the NovaCare Complex and was introduced to Inside Linebackers Coach Bobby King.

From there, the position switch was on.

"I'm like, 'All right, let's give it a shot,'" Baun said. "And my competitiveness was just like, 'All right, I'm trying to make it. There's a spot open and I need it to be me.'"

Baun earned that starting spot during Training Camp and never looked back. He had one of the most prolific seasons ever from an Eagles defender, being named an AP Defensive Player of the Year finalist and helping the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX.

It was a meteoric rise to stardom for Baun, who signed a lucrative three-year deal to return to Philadelphia and was voted a team captain before the season. Not often does a player start just 14 games across his first four seasons and then switch positions and immediately become an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection, but Baun did just that.

Growing up in West Bend, Wisconsin, playing in the NFL wasn't something Baun even dreamed about. Now, he's a star in the league and is relishing every opportunity.

"I just played football because I loved it and I got to be out of the house with my friends and hanging out," he said. "I'm just so thankful. I always try to take steps back and realize like, where I'm at, where I come from, what I'm doing, where I'm going. And just stay humble and appreciate my family through it all."

Coming out of high school, Baun was a three-star recruit who stayed locally to play for the Badgers. He starred at Wisconsin but strictly played edge rusher. After he was drafted in the third round by the Saints, he occasionally played off the ball but was mainly on the line.

So when the Eagles signed Baun in free agency, it seemed like that trend would continue, but Fangio had other plans. Baun was up for the challenge.

"I think that also the root of me is being a competitive guy. I'm trying to be the best at everything," he said. "Like if I'm playing my wife (Ali) in cards or ping pong, I'm trying to beat her. No mercy. I'm trying to be the best. And now that I've made an All-Pro and Pro Bowl, it's really just a pat on the back for me. And I'm trying to do more and just be more."

Baun's first game with the Eagles was the season opener against the Packers in Brazil. He had 15 tackles and two sacks, including the game-clinching takedown, becoming just the sixth player since 1994 to post those numbers in a game.

That's when it really hit him what this could become.

"It wasn't until that first Green Bay game last year in Brazil where I was like, 'OK, OK, this could be decent this year,'" he said.

Baun finished the regular season with 150 tackles, 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and a sack. When the Eagles rested key starters in Week 18, Baun was amongst those who didn't even suit up. He had established himself as one of the game's best, but he only got better in the postseason.

Baun had an opening-round interception against the Packers, forced fumbles versus the Rams and Commanders, and capped the run with an interception off Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.

"It's hard not to look at it from this perspective of like, 'I'm just a small-town Wisconsin kid just like getting interceptions in the Super Bowl and stuff," Baun said. "It's crazy."

As Baun basked in the green confetti and partied down Broad Street, there was still the lingering question of his pending free agency. But in the end, he didn't feel there was much of a decision to make.

"If you have an option, how could you win a Super Bowl and be so successful on a team and then leave just for some money? It's not me," he said. "I have such a good vibe with this team, with the coaches, with Howie (Roseman) and Mr. (Jeffery) Lurie. I just love the city. I couldn't leave."

Through four weeks of the 2025 season, it has been much of the same from Baun. He's constantly making plays all over the field, and his Week 3 interception off Matthew Stafford helped the Eagles score early.

It has only been 18 months, but Zack Baun is already one of the best linebackers in the world, and he knows there's more to come.

"I'm still working at it. There's so much stuff I need to work on still," Baun said. "I'm excited for that being my first year doing this, and that's what I did? I'm excited for the future." — Written by Matt Ryan