Eagles Have Competition for Vikings’ Jonathan Greenard

The Philadelphia Eagles are in desperate need of at least one elite pass rusher.

In 2025, it was Jaelan Phillips after he was acquired ahead of the 2025 National Football League trade deadline. In 2024, Josh Sweat was the Eagles' best pure edge rusher. In 2023, it was Sweat and Haason Reddick for the Eagles leading the way. Right now, the Eagles' best bets are Nolan Smith Jr. or Jalyx Hunt. Both are talented and will play big roles in 2026, but the Eagles need at least one more elite edge to put at the top of the depth chart.

With Phillips gone and the Eagles missing out on Trey Hendrickson, the name that has been out there connected to the Eagles has been Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowler Jonathan Greenard. The Vikings star has been linked to the Eagles for a few weeks at this point. On Thursday, Vikings insider Alec Lewis of The Athletic shared a new update and specifically said that the Eagles and Indianapolis Colts "stand out" in the market for Greenard.

The Eagles are still interested

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Two currently stand out: the Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts," Lewis wrote. "Both are in win-now mode. Both explored the possibilities of signing free-agent edge rushers Trey Hendrickson and Phillips. Both have invested in edge rushers in recent years. Greenard also fits the systems of both defensive coordinators: Vic Fangio of the Eagles and Lou Anarumo of the Colts. ...

"Philadelphia, meanwhile, has plenty of draft picks. As usual, the Eagles got multiple compensatory picks in the 2026 draft: an extra third-, fourth- and fifth-rounder. They, too, have a sizable amount of cap space for the next two seasons. The Eagles have a deeper stable of edge rushers than Indianapolis, with Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie. However, none of them possesses the game-changing pass-rush potential of Greenard."

Philadelphia hasn't just been linked to Greenard in trade rumors. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on March 11 that the Eagles spoke to Greenard's agent about an extension if Philadelphia and Minnesota can get a trade done. Philadelphia has been consistently linked to Greenard over the last two weeks or so. It's not shocking that another team is interested, but Lewis specifically mentioning the Colts is important. The Colts were one of the teams, along with Philadelphia, interested in Hendrickson. It seems like the two are running in the same circles.

While Lewis noted that the Eagles and Colts "stand out" in the sweepstakes, he also said that there is no deadline for a deal and that if the Vikings don't get the asking price that they want, this sweepstakes could extend into the summer and start of the season. So, the fact that a Vikings insider is saying the Eagles are still in the market is good because he would be an option that would bolster Philadelphia's pass rush. But this update also is important because it shows that there isn't any imminent right now between the two sides. Interest, interest and more interest. When will there be movement? We're less than a month away from the NFL Draft, things typically heat up in general around the league at that time after a slow few weeks of prospect talk.