Should the Philadelphia Eagles trade for current New England Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills?
PFF’s Brad Spielberger put together 10 trade he thinks should still happen, and a Mills-Eagles reunion is one. In the proposal Spielberger put together, the Eagles would send a 2024 sixth-round pick to New England in exchange for Mills.
It would be a bargain add for Philly, too. They could pick up the rest of Mills’ one-year deal worth $1,266,340. Spielberger published his list of trade ideas just before the Eagles traded for All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on October 23, but if a future seventh-rounder is all it would take to nab some more reliable depth at corner, adding
Mills, 29, spent his first five seasons with the Eagles. He has been with the Patriots since March of 2021, but has recently expressed displeasure with his lack of playing time. Could the Eagles pull another trade out of their hat and add Mills?
Jalen Mills Would Likely Welcome Trade, Reunion With Eagles
Mills, who started 26 games for New England over the previous two seasons, is currently listed as the second safety the depth chart behind Jabrill Peppers. So far, through Week 7, he has played just 26% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps.
On October 11, Mills expressed frustration with his lack of playing time Week 5 after New England’s 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He took to the social media platform X, writing: “10 snaps damn.”
Considering his history with the Eagles coupled with his current situation in New England, another trade doesn’t seem far-fetched.
“With so many defensive backs in New England, even with a handful of injuries, the Patriots can afford to move on here,” Spielberger wrote. “Mills has already made it clear on social media that he is not exactly stoked with his snap share, so this makes sense for all parties.”
Philadelphia Eagles Could Still Be Looking to Add CBs Via Trade, Insider Says
Top 10 most likely trade candidates for the New England Patriots before the trade deadline on October 31st.
Kendrick Bourne
Adrian Phillips
Jalen Mills
Josh Uche
Kyle Dugger
Trent Brown
Mike Onwenu
Bailey Zappe
Per: @ZackCoxNESN
A seventh-round pick for the Eagles out of LSU in 2016, Mills played in 63 games for the Eagles (49 starts). In that span, he amassed 283 total tackles (six for loss), 1.5 sacks, 40 passes defensed, five interceptions and a defensive score. When asked if he was hoping to be traded based on his social media activity, the veteran DB demurred.
“Nah, winning’s on my mind,” Mills said, via the Boston Herald. “That’s all I want to do. I want to win football games. No trade deadline. That’s up to the coaching staff. That’s up to people in the front office. And that’s up to other teams. But my whole focus right now is winning football games.”
He could do a ton of that with the NFC-leading Eagles (6-1).
According to Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the Eagles are still eyeing possible trade targets who can play in the slot. Byard is a safety, so adding a corner comfortable in the nickle is still possible. “The Eagles are clearly going to be a playoff team and could make another deep run,” Caplan wrote on October 23. “They’re likely to continue to assess the nickel role as we get closer to the deadline.”
Mills certainly checks that box.
“I can play in the slot. I can play nickel. I can play dime. I can play strong safety, I can play free safety. I can blitz. I can play a lot of different coverages. So, I think that’s my biggest thing is my versatility of being able to do all of those things on the back end,” Mills added.
We’ll see if the Eagles have any interest in facilitating a reunion.
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Eagles Trade Proposal Brings Former Starter Back on Cheap Deal