During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings made one of the notable trades, sending veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles on April 24.
Meanwhile, the Vikings received two third-round picks, the No. 98 selection in this year’s draft, and a third-rounder next year. Minnesota would end up using the No. 98 pick to select former Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jakobe Thomas on Day 2.
Now that it’s been a few days since the trade, Greenard is opening up about what transpired behind the scenes with Minnesota during the April 30 edition of “Green Light with Chris Long.” He noted that he didn’t want to leave the Vikings, but did note that the reason for the trade was a business one.
“[Greenard’s agent and him] kind of wanted to see other teams to see if they were, if I was worth what I was asking for,” Greenard told Long. “We saw who actually stepped up to the plate on that… We already knew Philly was in the picture; we knew a couple of other teams were there as well. I think they obviously just went different ways once they saw what the compensation would be and understood that they still have to get a new contract.
“Make no mistake, everybody knew that it wasn’t about me not wanting to be in Minnesota. That was not at all the case. We knew that it was strictly about contract and money at this point. As an edge guy, we understand how much we can affect the game. And whenever I see that my worth is, I’m not going to say not viewed the same, but yes, kind of essentially that.”
Vikings Made Tough Economical Decision
With the Vikings last season, Greenard posted a 74.2 overall defensive grade from PFF, placing 31st out of 115 qualified edge defenders. His pass-rush grade came in at 77.6, good for 18th, while his 77.8 run-defense grade ranked 12th at the position.
Moreover, he finished the campaign with 47 total pressures, including four sacks, 35 hurries, and eight hits. Greenard also recorded 24 solo tackles and forced one fumble.
Following the end of Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski shared a major reason Minnesota decided to part ways with the edge rusher, despite wanting to compete in the upcoming 2026 NFL season.
“He’s an impact player,” Brzezinski said (h/t Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune). “It’s something we understand is not making the Minnesota Vikings a better team today. But there’s a lot of factors involved, and particularly with the economics, we were able to reach a resolution that made sense for the Vikings.
“We’re going to miss him. We’re happy he was able to get himself a new contract, but this is not something we’re jumping around excitedly about. We did feel like it was the best thing for the organization moving forward.”
Eagles Explain Reasoning on Trading for Jonathan Greenard
Meanwhile, the Eagles explained why they decided it was ideal to part ways with two third-round draft picks to bolster their pass rush as they look to be contenders in the 2026 NFL season.
“What you see is a relentless player with physical tools. He can win in multiple ways; he is hard to block,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said (h/t Tim McManus of ESPN). “I know when we play Minnesota, we are worried about where he is at all times. We just felt like we had a really good D-line, but we really wanted to elevate it to another level.”
Eagles’ Jonathan Greenard Doesn’t Hold Back After Vikings Trade