Jaelen Phillips is one of the Philadelphia Eagles' biggest flight risks this offseason. The Birds may be prepared to lose him, though, with a hell of a hedge of a Pro Bowl EDGE on their radar. While Phillips' price may be too high for the Eagles, another player whose team doesn't want to course-correct his market value may be within Philly's budget.
Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "People inside the league believe Philly is attempting to re-sign Phillips to a deal that would pay him well above $20 million per year ... As a contingency, the Eagles are believed to have inquired about Minnesota's Jonathan Greenard. The Vikings have received many inquiries on Greenard, who will be far cheaper to acquire than Crosby. A Day 2 pick probably gets a deal done."
Jonathan Greenard became a trade candidate last Tuesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Minnesota Vikings have a real desire for Greenard to return. However, Minnesota is simply refusing to budge on giving him any extra money in a contract restructuring, which has complicated things.
That's not quite the case with Phillips. In his eight regular-season games and the team's wild-card round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Phillips was an astounding fit. In Vic Fangio's system, Phillips provided elite pressure, making his mark in his debut in a 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football with eight pressures, five stops, and a 19.4 percent pressure rate.
The Birds want Phillips back. They might not be able to meet the market's demands because of the dead money clogging their books, though. Certainly, the Vikings aren't swimming in excess spending money, but there's no effort to bring Greenard back at all. That it's widely known Minnesota doesn't want him means Greenard's agent Drew Rosehnhaus is working overtime to force a trade to the right landing spot.
The Super Bowl champion from February 2025 is probably the right landing spot for Rosenhaus, who has a good enough relationship with the Eagles to have facilitated Darius Slay's extension in 2023 despite rumors he was looking for a trade.
Greenard is a Great On-Field Fit, But He's Not Philly's Only Option
Greenard does a lot of the things Phillips does well. Actually, he does them better. Greenard's stats read more impressively, and he doesn't carry the same injury risk. The only downside is that Phillips would carry a lower cap hit in a hypothetical first year of his deal. That's probably a pill that Philly would swallow, given the long-term implications.
Most importantly, as it pertains to Philadelphia, Greenard is a strong volume pass-rusher who doesn't rely on blitzes. Greenard's coverage ability has somewhat untapped potential, but Fangio is an elite talent developer.
It'd be a shame to likely see Phillips go this week, but it's clear Howie Roseman is making sure no stone is unturned when it comes to replacing him. As Fowler noted, Seattle Seahawks EDGE Boye Mafe "is also considered a viable edge option if the Phillips deal doesn't materialize."
Organizational disarray tanked the Birds' 2025 season, but it didn't take down the defense. It appears the franchise is ready to find the way forward, no matter where NFL free agency takes it.