I keep hearing proposed trades that would send Saquon Barkley to other teams. It’s not happening! Those articles are either ignoring finances or designed for engagement without offering anything realistic. I see the engagement though, so I’ll do the opposite. Here is a look at all the Eagles who will NOT be traded before the November 10 deadline. Of course, if someone makes Howie an offer he can’t refuse (like the Ravens did with Cam Jurgens), that changes things.
If you are looking for who could be traded, I got you covered.
days
hours minutes seconds
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NFL Trade Deadline
An important thing to note before we get started. Everything below is said under the assumption that the plan is not to tear down the roster to its bones. They can do that if it’s the plan, but I can’t imagine that’s the plan right now.1
Not Likely
- Even though he just signed a new massive extension, Carter could technically still be traded since his dead cap hit next year would only be $18.4m, but the team didn’t give him that new contract for nothing. His talent is still immense even if his effort is lacking at times.
- Yeah, but… An opposing team would have to make this deal worth it for the Eagles and that means at least a 1st and a 2nd round pick. Talents like Carter do not grow on trees. The Eagles would listen, but don’t bet on anything happen.
- I don’t know why Davis isn’t working this year after breaking out and getting himself a fat extension last year. He’s been invisible. Unlike Carter, this isn’t about people meeting a high asking price, it’s about the Eagles desire to eat $15m in dead cap ($6.5m more than what’s on the books now) for what they could get for him. Granted, I thought Cam Jurgens didn’t have a big market, so whatever logic got him and him moved could apply to Davis. I don’t see it though.
- Yeah, but…Is anyone offering a 2nd round pick for Davis? With that comes around $18m in guaranteed compensation next season followed by non-guaranteed $25m salaries in 2028 and 2029.
- I put him on the possible trade list 2 weeks ago, but that was because I assumed he would be serviceable. He isn’t. There’s no way a team is picking up his guaranteed $24m in compensation next year even if the Eagles were giving him away. He would have to go absolutely nuclear over the next two weeks, but that would obviously make his price go up.
- Yeah, but… But nothing. A team could offer a 5th round pick and the Eagles would seriously consider getting out of the Greenard business and eat $18m in dead cap next year. No one is doing that though.
- There isn’t a team in the league who wouldn’t want DeVonta Smith. However, trading him would basically end any chance the team has for next season already. Plus, Smith is exactly the kind of player the team wants to have around and build on. He is a total professional. His $15m dead cap hit is not an issue
- Yeah, but… Simply, an acquiring team would have to overpay and then be ready to give him a big contract extension. The offer Howie can’t refuse is probably a 1st and a 2nd at least. He might still say no.
No Chance
- Quinyon could easily be traded, but he is a part of whatever the future core of this team looks like. He will likely sign an extension to make him the highest paid CB in football after the season.
- Yeah, but…The bidding would start at two first round picks and probably be even more than that.
Saquon Barkley
- Saquon is the reason I wrote this article. He is at the top of everyone’s list but is one of the most unlikely to get dealt on the whole team. Why? Trading him before the deadline means the Eagles would take on a $26.5m dead cap hit next season. That’s more than double his currently scheduled cap number for next year. Someone would need to offer a BIG haul of assets to do this deal, but I can’t imagine anyone giving something like an AJ Brown+ package to land a 30 year old running back. If that happened, the Eagles would officially be punting on 2027 as well.
- Offseason Trade? It’s possible. Any trade would have to be made after June 1. At that point, his 2027 cap hit would lower by $4.5m and his 2028 hit would be the same as if he stayed, around $17.5m. The teams would need to work out who pays his 2027 bonus of $14.4m
- Not only is the franchise left tackle only 30 and has routinely taken early, below market extensions, but a trade would move $22m on to next year’s cap. That’s not an impossible number, but a new team would probably need to give up at least two firsts to get the Eagles to listen
- Offseason Trade? Again, I can’t see the team trading him, but it’s significantly easier to do so after June 1. They would save $8m in 2027 and another $8m in 2028.
- The Eagles have a plan with Goedert and it would be surprising if Howie deviated from it. When he resigned in the off-season, his contract came with the ability to void his deal after June 1 to facilitate an easier cap number. A trade now puts $18m on to next year instead of splitting that into $8m and $10m. It’s possible, but not likely.
- An offseason trade is not possible.
- Obviously no one is trading for Jalen now, but he wasn’t going to get traded even without his blood clot issues. Trading him would have triggered an $85m dead cap hit for 2027. Sweet mercy!
- Offseason Trade? Nope. That’s not happening either. While his 2027 cap hit would shrink by $12m to $30m, his ’28 number would balloon to $54.5m. As much as people want to kick him out the door, he’s not going anywhere. Retirement though? That’s possible.
Rookies and 2nd Years
Teams don’t trade their youngest players. Even Eli Stowers, who by all reports is a total bust, isn’t going anywhere. They are all cheap, so trading them isn’t hard, but they wouldn’t give up so quickly unless there was someone clearly ready to step in and take their place.
Not Mentioned
A couple of guys didn’t make the list: Cooper DeJean, Zack Baun, and Jalyx Hunt. I can’t imagine them getting traded, but I can’t say it’s impossible either. All 3 are going into the final years of their contracts next year. All 3 would likely be in high demand, so if someone comes offering and the Eagles do not feel fully confident in either their ability or desire to resign them, something could happen.
Sources: Spotrac and Overthecap.com
- Thanks to Threads user @perrygargamel for talking to me about this ↩︎
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