NFL trade grades: Eagles steal Jonathan Greenard from Vikings for Day 2 pick

Howie Roseman continues to wheel and deal for the Philadelphia Eagles. After moving up to acquire wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th pick on Thursday night, the Eagles dealt a 2026 third-round pick (No. 98) and a 2027 third-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard.

Greenard, 28, will sign a four-year, $100 million extension with $50 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 2026 third-round pick Philly gave up was a compensatory pick. Greenard was due $40 million nonguaranteed over the next two years in Minnesota; he gets a $10 million raise with full guarantees now, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

Eagles-Vikings Jonathan Greenard trade details

The Vikings did not want to trade Greenard, per The Athletic's Alec Lewis, but his asking price was too steep for Minnesota — and several suitors. This move clears the way for Dallas Turner to contribute more, but really, it's the Eagles banking on win-now talent and adding to what is already a top-tier pass rush.

Philadelphia is still expected to trade AJ Brown after June 1, but with Lemon joining DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks in a reshaped wide receiver room — and with Sean Mannion calling plays — the offense figures to improve. If the offense can support their elite defense even a little bit, we could see the Eagles ascend the NFC's competitive ladder again with a quickness.

Eagles trade grade: B+

This is a classic Roseman move. He's never afraid to sacrifice NFL Draft capital for star-power and Greenard was almost certainly the best edge rusher still available to Philadelphia. After whiffing on Trey Hendrickson in free agency and losing Jaelan Phillips to Carolina, the Eagles needed a new outside linebacker. Greenard will be more than serviceable.

He's a strong fit in Vic Fangio's defense, able to stuff the run and pressure the quarterback on the regular. He put up 3.0 sacks and 12 QB hits last season, but is only a year removed from a dominant 2024 campaign in which he recorded 12 sacks and 22 QB hits (with 12.5 sacks and 22 QB hits in 2023).

It's fair to question the length of Greenard's contract and exactly how it will age, but the Eagles are in win-now mode, desperate to get back on track after last season's oddly dysfunctional 11 wins. Greenard is a potential upgrade over Phillips, who is historically a more hit-or-miss talent — both in terms of on-field impact and availability. Greenard has started 15-plus games in three straight years.

Vikings trade grades: C

Minnesota gets draft capital out of a sunk cost, which is something. Greenard clearly was not going to stick around and this avoids a prolonged holdout or an uncomfortable training camp standoff.

That said, it's hard to celebrate this move from the Vikings' perspective. It will ultimately come down to how the cookie crumbles on those third-round picks, but those essentially amount to dart throws in a vast ocean. Whether you're comfortable with a $100 million extension or not, and whether you fully believe in Dallas Turner or not, the Vikings got worse. For a team hoping to take the leap with a shiny new quarterback in Kyler Murray, sacrificing premium talent at the altar of financial flexibility is never ideal.

Turner was awesome in year two, with eight sacks in 17 games (10 starts). He can step into a larger role, no doubt. At the end of the day, though, the Vikings would clearly rather have Greenard on the roster. This was a trade out of necessity, not desire.

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