The Vikings added four players on the second night of the draft. That’s still not the headline.
Minnesota traded defensive end Jonathan Greenard to the Eagles, in a move that entailed both teams proceeding quietly and discreetly while Greenard went to Philadelphia to take a physical.
After the Vikings made their Day 2 picks, executive V.P. of football operations Rob Brzezinski addressed the decision to trade Greenard.
“This is not something we’re jumping around excitedly about, but we do feel like we [did] the best thing for the organization moving forward,” Brzezinski said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN — who described the mood as “somber.”
So why not just give Greenard the four-year, $100 million deal he received from the Eagles? With Will Anderson recently moving the market at the position to $50 million per year, paying Greenard half that amount doesn’t seem to be a ridiculous amount.
“We have just spent so much money the last several years that it’s not sustainable for us to move forward,” Brzezinski said. “Our salary cap situation has been very, very challenging.”
That’s the price for going all-in a year ago, despite not having a viable plan at quarterback. They surely didn’t sign Greenard in 2024 with the goal of keeping him for two years. And so they opted to seize on the opportunity to roll the dice on a pair of younger, cheaper players in the form of a third-round pick in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2027.
The onus now falls on the front office (which currently doesn’t have a G.M.) to get the right players, and on the coaching staff to develop them into contributors. And then to manage the cap in a way that allows them to reward and retain their best players.
When will new Eagles defensive end Jonathan Greenard make his first appearance in Philadelphia? He already has.
Greenard was spotted at the Celtics-76ers NBA playoff game with Eagles’ jack-of-all-trades Big Dom a/k/a Dom DiSandro.
Here’s video of Greenard at the game. Big Dom can be seen behind him.
Per the Eagles, Greenard arrived in Philly earlier in the day for a physical. After it was complete and the deal was agreed to and announced, Greenard went to the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Greenard fills the void that was created when Jaelan Phillips signed a four-year, $120 million deal with the Panthers. The Eagles had given up a third-round pick to the Dolphins in order to secure Phillips for the 2025 stretch run.
After making their second-round pick, the Vikings made a move that likely will not go over well with the fan base.
Defensive end Jonathan Greenard has been traded to the Eagles, for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. The Eagles also received pick No. 244 in the 2026 draft.
Greenard gets a four-year, $100 million extent, per multiple reports as leaked by Greenard’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
The possibility of a trade had lingered for weeks. Greenard, who was signed in free agency from the Texans when former Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter signed with Houston, wanted a raise over his $19 million compensation package for 2026.
The new deal averages $25 million per year, which remains well below the top of the market for edge rushers.
After racking up 12.0 sacks in 2024, his first with the Vikings, Greenard had only three sacks in 2025. Injuries limited him to 12 games with 10 starts.
The move now gives the Vikings three picks in tonight’s third round, subject to additional moves.
On Thursday night, the Steelers had USC receiver Makai Lemon on the phone before the Steelers were on the clock. It could put them on the radar screen of 345 Park Avenue.
Jake Rosenberg, long-time Eagles executive who left the organization two years ago, has made this observation on Twitter: “Clubs that are not ‘on the clock’ may have discussions with the representative of one or more draft-eligible players not yet selected (or discussion with the players themselves) regarding the player’s interest in playing in the League, playing with a particular club or type of club, the player’s health, or other such non-financial matters, so long as these discussions do not interfere with discussions between a player and the club that is ‘on the clock.’”
A source currently working for a team not involved in the situation tells PFT that this is indeed the rule.
NFL Network televised the video of Lemon talking to the Steelers while the Eagles were trying to reach him. Beyond making the Steelers look foolish, the video may get the Steelers in hot water.
It’s probably not something the league will care about. With the first round trimmed to eight minutes, there will be periodic complications. Ultimately, it didn’t keep the Eagles from getting Lemon. And the embarrassment may be punishment enough for the team that is hosting the draft.
Before last night, it was obvious that receiver A.J. Brown wouldn’t return to the Eagles for a fifth season with the team. Once the Eagles traded up to No. 20 to bogart Makai Lemon from the Steelers, it became obvious that Brown will not be back.
Still, Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman is committed to the bit. Here’s what he said after round one, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“A.J. is a member of the Eagles. We don’t have any trades that have been made, or that are done. And I think for us, we’re taking this one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team tomorrow, and we’ll continue to address anything that we have to with our roster, not only through this draft weekend, but we’ll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason, and as we get into training camp.”
We continue to believe that the Eagles already have an unofficial deal in place to trade Brown to the Patriots after June 1, when the dead-money charge will be divided over two league years. It’s permissible to have a handshake deal, and there’s no requirement that it be announced.
There’s also no requirement that both teams proceed.
It requires a basic level of trust and a leap of faith that both sides will honor the handshake deal. Unless someone reneges (or Brown fails the physical), Brown will be a Patriot on June 2.
