The Philadelphia Eagles made a seismic trade to bolster their pass rush during the second night of the 2026 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles acquired former Pro Bowl defender Jonathan Greenard from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the No. 98 overall pick in this year’s draft (third round) and a third-round pick in next year’s draft.
In addition to Greenard, the Eagles got the No. 244 overall pick in this year’s draft from Minnesota. They also reportedly signed Greenard to a four-year, $100 million contract extension, which includes $50 million guaranteed.
The Greenard acquisition comes at the perfect time for the Eagles, who saw Jaelan Phillips sign a massive four-year, $120 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in free agency last month.
Philadelphia didn’t rest on its laurels after losing Phillips, signing Arnold Ebiketie (one-year, $4.3 million deal) and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (one-year, $1.4 million deal) to add depth to its pass-rushing group. However, expecting either of those guys to replace Phillips’ presence is a long shot at best; this is where Greenard comes into play.
In his first year with the Vikings in 2024, Greenard recorded 59 combined tackles, 42 QB pressures, 22 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three pass deflections. Greenard’s performance was good enough to be named to the Pro Bowl. It was his second consecutive year with double-digit sacks, the first being in his last year with the Houston Texans in 2023 (12.5).
However, Greenard’s production took a step back this past season due to injuries. The 6-foot-3, 259-pound defender had 38 combined tackles, 24 quarterback pressures, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 12 games (10 starts).
Nonetheless, the Eagles are hoping Greenard can stay healthy because he can bring more firepower to a pass rush group that already features Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt.
