diff --git a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods.go b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods.go
index c414f9f24d..9a8aa60ac1 100644
--- a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods.go
+++ b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/descheduler/pkg/descheduler/evictions"
 	podutil "sigs.k8s.io/descheduler/pkg/descheduler/pod"
 	frameworktypes "sigs.k8s.io/descheduler/pkg/framework/types"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/descheduler/pkg/utils"
 )
 
 const PluginName = "RemoveFailedPods"
@@ -59,8 +60,26 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, args runtime.Object, handle frameworktypes.Handle)
 	}
 
 	// We can combine Filter and PreEvictionFilter since for this strategy it does not matter where we run PreEvictionFilter
+	defaultFilter := handle.Evictor().Filter
+	if failedPodsArgs.EvictFailedSystemCriticalPods {
+		// The operator has explicitly opted in to evicting failed pods that
+		// would otherwise be protected by the framework default-evictor's
+		// SystemCriticalPods check. Wrap the default-evictor filter so that
+		// pods which are both PodFailed and system-critical are admitted at
+		// candidate-listing time; all other DefaultEvictor protections
+		// (DaemonSet, StaticPod, LocalStorage, ...) still apply, as do
+		// PreEvictionFilter, the PodFailed phase check (below), and
+		// validateCanEvict.
+		defaultFilter = func(pod *v1.Pod) bool {
+			if pod.Status.Phase == v1.PodFailed && utils.IsCriticalPriorityPod(pod) {
+				return true
+			}
+			return handle.Evictor().Filter(pod)
+		}
+	}
+
 	podFilter, err := podutil.NewOptions().
-		WithFilter(podutil.WrapFilterFuncs(handle.Evictor().Filter, handle.Evictor().PreEvictionFilter)).
+		WithFilter(podutil.WrapFilterFuncs(defaultFilter, handle.Evictor().PreEvictionFilter)).
 		WithNamespaces(includedNamespaces).
 		WithoutNamespaces(excludedNamespaces).
 		WithLabelSelector(failedPodsArgs.LabelSelector).
diff --git a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods_test.go b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods_test.go
index 010478e946..577e44144d 100644
--- a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods_test.go
+++ b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/failedpods_test.go
@@ -342,6 +342,30 @@ func TestRemoveFailedPods(t *testing.T) {
 				buildTestPod("p2", "node1", newPodStatus("Shutdown", v1.PodFailed, nil, nil), nil),
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			description:             "system-critical priority failed pod is protected by default",
+			args:                    createRemoveFailedPodsArgs(false, nil, nil, nil, nil),
+			nodes:                   []*v1.Node{test.BuildTestNode("node1", 2000, 3000, 10, nil)},
+			expectedEvictedPodCount: 0,
+			pods: []*v1.Pod{
+				buildCriticalPriorityPod("p1", "node1", newPodStatus("", "", nil, &v1.ContainerState{
+					Terminated: &v1.ContainerStateTerminated{Reason: "NodeAffinity"},
+				})),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			description: "evictFailedSystemCriticalPods=true, system-critical priority failed pod is evicted",
+			args: RemoveFailedPodsArgs{
+				EvictFailedSystemCriticalPods: true,
+			},
+			nodes:                   []*v1.Node{test.BuildTestNode("node1", 2000, 3000, 10, nil)},
+			expectedEvictedPodCount: 1,
+			pods: []*v1.Pod{
+				buildCriticalPriorityPod("p1", "node1", newPodStatus("", "", nil, &v1.ContainerState{
+					Terminated: &v1.ContainerStateTerminated{Reason: "NodeAffinity"},
+				})),
+			},
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tc := range tests {
 		t.Run(tc.description, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -363,13 +387,14 @@ func TestRemoveFailedPods(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			plugin, err := New(ctx, &RemoveFailedPodsArgs{
-				Reasons:                 tc.args.Reasons,
-				ExitCodes:               tc.args.ExitCodes,
-				MinPodLifetimeSeconds:   tc.args.MinPodLifetimeSeconds,
-				IncludingInitContainers: tc.args.IncludingInitContainers,
-				ExcludeOwnerKinds:       tc.args.ExcludeOwnerKinds,
-				LabelSelector:           tc.args.LabelSelector,
-				Namespaces:              tc.args.Namespaces,
+				Reasons:                       tc.args.Reasons,
+				ExitCodes:                     tc.args.ExitCodes,
+				MinPodLifetimeSeconds:         tc.args.MinPodLifetimeSeconds,
+				IncludingInitContainers:       tc.args.IncludingInitContainers,
+				EvictFailedSystemCriticalPods: tc.args.EvictFailedSystemCriticalPods,
+				ExcludeOwnerKinds:             tc.args.ExcludeOwnerKinds,
+				LabelSelector:                 tc.args.LabelSelector,
+				Namespaces:                    tc.args.Namespaces,
 			},
 				handle,
 			)
@@ -414,3 +439,12 @@ func buildTestPod(podName, nodeName string, podStatus v1.PodStatus, deletionTime
 	pod.DeletionTimestamp = deletionTimestamp
 	return pod
 }
+
+// buildCriticalPriorityPod builds a failed pod whose priority matches the
+// system-critical threshold checked by utils.IsCriticalPriorityPod.
+func buildCriticalPriorityPod(podName, nodeName string, podStatus v1.PodStatus) *v1.Pod {
+	pod := buildTestPod(podName, nodeName, podStatus, nil)
+	priority := int32(2000000000)
+	pod.Spec.Priority = &priority
+	return pod
+}
diff --git a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/types.go b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/types.go
index b72f379766..3cf8e514f8 100644
--- a/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/types.go
+++ b/pkg/framework/plugins/removefailedpods/types.go
@@ -25,11 +25,12 @@ import (
 type RemoveFailedPodsArgs struct {
 	metav1.TypeMeta `json:",inline"`
 
-	Namespaces              *api.Namespaces       `json:"namespaces,omitempty"`
-	LabelSelector           *metav1.LabelSelector `json:"labelSelector,omitempty"`
-	ExcludeOwnerKinds       []string              `json:"excludeOwnerKinds,omitempty"`
-	MinPodLifetimeSeconds   *uint                 `json:"minPodLifetimeSeconds,omitempty"`
-	Reasons                 []string              `json:"reasons,omitempty"`
-	ExitCodes               []int32               `json:"exitCodes,omitempty"`
-	IncludingInitContainers bool                  `json:"includingInitContainers,omitempty"`
+	Namespaces                    *api.Namespaces       `json:"namespaces,omitempty"`
+	LabelSelector                 *metav1.LabelSelector `json:"labelSelector,omitempty"`
+	ExcludeOwnerKinds             []string              `json:"excludeOwnerKinds,omitempty"`
+	MinPodLifetimeSeconds         *uint                 `json:"minPodLifetimeSeconds,omitempty"`
+	Reasons                       []string              `json:"reasons,omitempty"`
+	ExitCodes                     []int32               `json:"exitCodes,omitempty"`
+	IncludingInitContainers       bool                  `json:"includingInitContainers,omitempty"`
+	EvictFailedSystemCriticalPods bool                  `json:"evictFailedSystemCriticalPods,omitempty"`
 }