The Philadelphia Eagles fan base is still stunned after finding out that their top edge rusher, Jaelan Phillips, is not returning to the team.
It has been reported that Phillips is signing a four-year, $120 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. When hearing the price tag he was given, it's easy to understand how the Eagles were simply not able to compete at that price.
With Phillips officially off the board, the Eagles must now go back to the drawing board and figure out how they will need to replace him either through free agency or the NFL Draft. There is one choice that is perfectly clear to the Eagles, they must make now.
Eagles must make a trade with the Minnesota Vikings
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler had reported that the Eagles put in a call to the Vikings to ask about edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and what the price would be to make a trade. Greenard was seen as a backup plan to the Eagles, and now this is their plan A.
Greenard racked up 38 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble in 12 games last season with the Vikings. While he dealt with injuries over the past year, he is still an elite edge rusher who was just in the Pro Bowl in 2024. He has had 27.5 sacks over the last three seasons, with two of those years having at least 12 sacks.
The question is what the Eagles will have to give up for Greenard. If it is just a Day 2 pick, that is a deal the Eagles must jump on and get him. They will also have to rework his contract to create more cap space and not take a $22.1 million cap hit in 2026.
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At this point, Philly had no choice but to make the call and get a deal done. The Eagles are desperate to add an elite pass rusher to the team with Phillips out of the picture.