Wide receiver A.J. Brown continues to garner a lot of the headlines around the Philadelphia Eagles entering the 2026 NFL Draft. But Brown isn’t the only star that could be involved in an Eagles trade this spring. On Monday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter discussed the possibility of the team adding edge rusher Jonathan Greenard again.
Schefter wrote Eagles general manager Howie Roseman “usually has a trick or two up his sleeve” and that league sources see the GM “plotting to make a deal on draft weekend.” The ESPN analyst floated the potential of one move being a trade for the Minnesota Vikings defender.
“One possibility is adding Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard, whom the Eagles have checked in on at various points this offseason, per sources,” wrote Schefter. “Greenard had 12 sacks in 2024, but he managed only three last season over 12 games, despite a solid 23.3% pass rush win rate.
“The Vikings have been adamant about getting a premium Day 2 pick for Greenard. Philadelphia holds pick Nos. 54, 68 and 98 on Day 2 this year.”
Why Eagles Could Trade for Jonathan Greenard
GettyESPN’s Adam Schefter linked the Philadelphia Eagles to edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in a potential NFL Draft trade.
The Eagles have been front runners in the potential Greenard sweepstakes for quite sometime. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis explained why on March 26.
“Philadelphia, meanwhile, has plenty of draft picks. As usual, the Eagles got multiple compensatory picks in the 2026 draft: an extra third-, fourth- and fifth-rounder,” Lewis wrote. “They, too, have a sizable amount of cap space for the next two seasons. The Eagles have a deeper stable of edge rushers than Indianapolis, with Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie.
“However, none of them possesses the game-changing pass-rush potential of Greenard.”
Schefter connected those dots again days prior to the NFL Draft with the Eagles expected to make some splashes over the weekend.
Greenard would be an excellent addition to a Philadelphia defense which lost edge rusher Jaelan Phillips during NFL free agency. The Eagles added Arnold Ebiketie on a 1-year contract, but he’s not the playmaker Phillips or Greenard are.
The Vikings edge rusher only had three sacks last season, but his analytics suggested he still had a strong campaign. Greenard also had 10 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits in 12 games during 2025.
In 2023 and 2024, Greenard had at least 12 sacks with 22 quarterback hits in each campaign.
Eagles-Vikings Greenard Trade Talks Dying?
GettyEdge rusher Jonathan Greenard experienced a disappointing 2025 NFL season after a Pro Bowl 2024 campaign.
While Schefter reignited in the media the possibility of Greenard going to the Eagles, it’s not clear trade negotiations are ongoing.
“League sources say the Eagles and Vikings could revisit discussions they already have had during the upcoming draft, but talks have lost steam in recent weeks,” Schefter wrote. “The Eagles’ wish list of trade candidates goes well beyond Greenard, per sources, though.
“Roseman almost always has a Plan A, B, C and D, and his team is one to monitor on one of the busiest weekends of the NFL calendar.”
The Eagles don’t appear all-in on Greenard, which is good news. If the Vikings are set on a certain trade price for the defensive end, then the Eagles won’t land him if they don’t meet that demand.
But Philadelphia shopping around could lower Greenard’s trade price. The Eagles could also potentially land a different impactful player on the trade market over the next week.
The 2026 NFL Draft will begin Thursday, April 23. The draft will occur over three days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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