This offseason promises to be a rollercoaster like no other. With a flurry of free agency decisions and salivating draft class ahead, it’s easy to forget about the possibility of trades. The Eagles are likely going to be buyers if it comes to trading this offseason, but who on their roster could be used to sweeten deals, or create entirely new ones?
Alshon Jeffery
Unfortunately, Alshon Jeffery’s salary being guaranteed through 2020 makes him valuable in the worst kind of way. Moving on from him won’t be easy, but trading ‘Alshonymous’ would leave the Eagles with a $16M cap-hit as opposed to a $26M one if they cut him. It’s within the team’s best interests to trade Alshon, but finding a suitor willing to swallow the cap won’t be easy.
While his presence on the offense helped other members of the offense thrive due to the attention he commands, a receiver costing $15M should be bringing a little more to the table than 850 yards per season, something he’s not reached since joining the Eagles.
With all the ‘noise’ away from the football field as well, it’s safe to say that he could benefit from a change of scenery. Injuries, a drop in production, and reportedly ‘outing’ his QB anonymously all add up to a troubled wideout who may thrive elsewhere.
It doesn’t help that this trade comes breaths before a very deep draft class and a healthy free agency group. But there’s one player who’s going to be shopped around this offseason, especially as the draft nears, it would be wise to assume it’s Alshon Jeffery.
Rasul Douglas/ Sidney Jones
There is a strong chance that both Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills will both be released into the free agency waters this offseason without much of a fight. There’s an even stronger chance that the team acquires at least two new corners between now and preseason.
Going into week one last year, the Eagles had both Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas as their starting corners after a whole offseason training that way due to the rehabs of both Mills and Darby.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff benched Jones, while Pederson and Jenkins called out his mental toughness. Rasul Douglas, on the other hand, has seemingly been unable to win over the coaching staff, no matter how he plays.
The two corners are entering the contract year of their rookie deals. They’re both young and if history is anything to go by, could probably find themselves thriving elsewhere. The CB Draft class isn’t as deep as it has been in recent years and teams may be willing to give up a little something for a rotational rental.
Derek Barnett
Another man entering his final contracted year is Derek Barnett. The question for Philadelphia is a simple one – ‘is he worth the fifth-year option?’
Barnett has become oddly polarizing. Some love him for the big-time plays in huge moments, while others see a lack of development, continued injury setbacks, and the fact that he still isn’t a starter despite being in year four of his deal.
If the Eagles don’t want to pay Barnett around $9M next year (another debate entirely), then trading him now and recouping some ammo to draft another young DE makes sense. Brandon Graham had a stellar campaign, but outside of that, the position struggled. It needs reinforcements and if Barnett isn’t in the long-term plans, cashing in and restarting the process of drafting a talent in the early rounds to learn under the vets would make a lot of sense.
Barnett is still really young (will be 24 next season) so there is bound to be a strong market. This idea is a little more unlikely, but perhaps one of the team’s strongest.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
