The Philadelphia Eagles are welcoming Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Greenard to their roster after agreeing a blockbuster trade in the middle of the NFL Draft.
In return, the Minnesota Vikings will receive the No 98 pick in tonight’s third round of the Draft, and a third-round pick in 2027, while also freeing up cap space on its roster.
The Eagles and Greenard have agreed on a huge four-year $100 million contract, of which $50m is fully guaranteed.
The 28-year-old, who is a 2024 Pro Bowler, had been seeking a new contract and a trade if he didn’t get one from the Vikings.
Greenard was scheduled to carry a salary cap hit of more than $22 million this season, creating space the Vikings can take advantage of in the future as they attempt to reset their roster following a 9-8 finish and the firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The Eagles had a need after letting edge rusher Jaelen Phillips leave in free agency. Greenard was expendable given the emergence last year of 2024 first-round draft pick Dallas Turner and the overall excellence when healthy of fellow outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Jonathan Greenard warms up ahead of a Minnesota Vikings game against the Commanders
Greenard is heading to Philadelphia to join up with the Eagles and is signing a $100m contract
Greenard was limited to 12 games in 2025 by a shoulder injury. He had three sacks, after tallying 12 sacks in his Vikings debut in 2024.
Greenard signed in free agency after four seasons with the Houston Texans, who drafted him in the third round in 2020 out of Florida.
The trade gave the Vikings a fifth top-100 selection in the draft this year, plus four waiting in 2027.
They took Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks in the first round (18th overall) and Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday (51st overall) in the second round after moving down two spots in a trade with Carolina.
They upgraded a sixth-rounder to a fifth-rounder in that swap with the Panthers.
