R1 The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing for a stunning Bryce Huff return in the Wild Card round, as the former $51M gamble steps back onto the stage against the very team where his Super Bowl ring came without impact.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles will face one of their biggest busts in recent memory when they host the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card matchup.

But will he play better against his former team than he did with them?

Bryce Huff is returning to south Philly. And 22 months after signing a big contract with the Eagles, the edge rusher will be hoping to help the 49ers take out the Super Bowl champs.

Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata was asked on Wednesday if he thinks Huff will be “juiced” for Sunday’s matchup against him and the Birds.

“100%,” Mailata said, before letting out a chuckle. “Can’t wait to see Super Bowl-champ Bryce Huff. That’s my teammate. Ex-teammate, anyway.”

Huff is technically a Super Bowl champion. But he didn’t contribute at all to the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win. Instead, his solo season in Philadelphia was nothing short of a failure.

Huff was a big-time free agent signing by Howie Roseman during the 2024 offseason. Coming off a 10-sack season, the former New York Jet inked a three-year, $51 million deal. Huff, only 25 years old at the time, was expected to be a cornerstone piece of the franchise.

Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff (0) during the NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Instead, Huff struggled to adapt to Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme. He logged only 2 1/2 sacks on 285 snaps in 12 games. He landed on the injured reserve with a torn groin ligament, missed five weeks and was activated off IR in time for the playoffs.

Huff played 13 snaps in the postseason: one against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round and 12 against the Washington Commanders in an NFC Championship blowout.

Huff was not active for the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. In June, he was traded to the 49ers for a conditional 2026 fifth-round draft pick.

That conditional pick would have elevated to a fourth-rounder if Huff recorded eight or more sacks with San Francisco this season. But that didn’t happen. Huff had four sacks in his first seven games then didn’t have another over the 49ers’ final eight games.

So, Huff failed the Eagles when he was playing for them and did so again with the Niners.

We’ll see how he fares against Mailata and Lane Johnson on Sunday.