Teams wasted no time making moves once the league's legal tampering period began at Noon ET on Monday. While the Philadelphia Eagles did not have a great start and lost edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Carolina Panthers on a four-year, $120 million deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, they were not entirely quiet.
Philadelphia extended defensive tackle Jordan Davis to a three-year, $78 million deal and restructured cornerback Michael Carter II's contract, lowering his cap hit. Those two moves alone helped the Eagles save more than $15 million in cap space, but they may not be finished there.
According to Bleacher Report's Thomas R. Petersen, the Eagles "already had trade talks with the Minnesota Vikings regarding linebacker Jonathan Greenard." Trading for Greenard will not be cheap, considering he is seeking a raise, but it also would not count against the compensatory third-round pick the Eagles received in the Phillips trade.
Jonathan Greenard Trade Could Be Too Tempting for Eagles to Ignore
Although it is clear that the Eagles have inquired about Greenard, per Rory Parks of Pro Football Rumors, it is unclear how far the talks have progressed. The Eagles cannot be thrilled with how free agency has played out so far, especially for the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. It would be wise of them to at least consider going after Greenard to add to one of the league's best defenses from last season.
Greenard is still in the middle of his current deal with the Vikings and appeared in only 12 games in 2025 due to injury. Before that, he recorded a total of 24.5 sacks from 2023-24 and offers a lot of promise if the Eagles choose to go that direction.
When Greenard did play in 2025, he was a solid contributor for Minnesota, posting the 31st-rated overall Pro Football Focus grade (74.2) out of 115 qualified edge defenders. It is important not to base his success on that alone, but also on his 47 pressures, which ranked 31st, further illustrating his upside.
Losing Phillips to the Panthers was certainly not an ideal start to the legal tampering period, especially considering the impact he made since he was acquired from the Miami Dolphins during the season. Acquiring Greenard would help lessen that blow, especially if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can put him in a position to succeed.
The deals with Carter and Davis have put the Eagles in a position where they can at least consider adding someone like Greenard. Whether they make the move remains to be seen, but if the Birds want to stay atop the NFC East and rebound from a disappointing 2025 season, a risk like this one might be the only way to achieve that goal.