3 Immediate reactions after Eagles strike colossal trade with Saints

And, so it begins. We’re less than a month away from the 2022 NFL Draft, and those of you who thought the Philadelphia Eagles might trade one of those first-round draft choices were right, sort of. They actually traded two of them.

According to an official announcement from the organization, the Birds have agreed to deal the 16th and 19th-overall selections along with the 194th-overall selection in the coming draft to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for the 18th-overall selection in Round 1, the 101st, the 237th selection, a 2023 first-round draft choice, and a 2024 second-round draft choice.

Buckle up. We have much to discuss.

Here are four immediate reactions following the Eagles’ trade with the Saints.

Where do we begin? None of this is confusing or overwhelmingly surprising, but there is a lot to unpack. It looks like Philadelphia is exhibiting some big-picture thinking here.

1. Nothing changes in terms of the number of picks for 2021.

Prior to the trade, the Eagles were walking into the 2022 NFL Draft with ten picks, and they still do. Don’t rule out another move or two though. We all know that Howie Roseman likes to use draft choices as bargaining chips. It was hard for some to believe he’d actually make three selections in Round 1.

Here’s where Philly selects now.

• Round 1, pick 15
• Round 1, pick 18
• Round 2, pick 51
• Round 3, pick 83
• Round 3, pick 101
• Round 4, pick 124
• Round 5, pick 154
• Round 5, pick 162
• Round 5, pick 166
• Round 7, pick 237

2. The additional first-round draft choice makes us ask questions about next year’s QBs.

Don’t expect QB conspiracy theories to slow down between the remainder of this offseason and next year’s selection meeting. We’ve all debated whether or not the Eagles should draft a signal-caller in Round 1, and we’ve decided that they shouldn’t.

Still, if it’s determined that the Jalen Hurts arrangement isn’t going to work, and the Birds are in the market next season, we might be discussing C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson.

3. This helps the Eagles re-sign players in 2026.

Can you imagine the stress of having to re-sign three former first-rounders to big deals in 2026? That may or may not have played into the Eagles’ thinking, but it’s a lot easier to sign two first-rounders than three.