"Disappointed" Jack Elliott Shades the Union Front Office on his Way to Chicago
Free agent Philadelphia Union center back Jack Elliott signed with the Chicago Fire this week. He posted this on Instagram about the move:
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“I’m disappointed to announce my time in Philadelphia has come to a close. Philadelphia has become home to me, but the time has come where I have to stay true to myself and know my own worth.”
During his season-ending media call, Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said Elliott “turned down an offer that was really respective, looking for more money and that’s what we cannot do, in terms of roster flexibility.” Elliott had a guaranteed compensation of $893,750 in 2024 and a base salary of $800,000, for some context. He’s 29-years-old and while the Union’s CB play took a big step back this season, if you polled fans and media they’d probably say that Jakob Glesnes had the bigger drop off than Elliott or Damion Lowe, the latter of whom was transferred to Saudi Arabia. Throw in the spring injury issues with Andre Blake and the Union’s D was all over the place for the early part of the season.
The Union are being linked to a young Argentina defender named Ian Glavinovich, who is 23 and reportedly coming here on loan with a purchase option. Not a done deal. But the team really needed some fresh legs in central defense. Glesnes, the former MLS Defender of the Year, turns 31 in March and Elliott and Lowe are obviously gone, so they’ll need to add another CB in addition to Glavinovich, assuming that move pans out. Then we’ll see how much Chicago paid Elliott, and get an idea, based on 2025 form, of whether the Union made the right move or wrong move in letting him walk.
Good luck to Jack though. Represented the team well, played some great games, scored two damn goals in MLS Cup. A CB brace in a title game. You can’t ask for much more from a late-round draft pick who wound up playing more than 225 games for the U.
