The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-5 heading into the team’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders. While they still have a chance to win the division, the Eagles’ season is pretty much over.
Jalen Hurts is out for the year due to blood clots found in his lungs, and Lane Johnson has retired. Howie Roseman is likely to sell some assets at this year’s trade deadline, and Saquon Barkley has emerged as a player who could be dealt.
However, ESPN’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport report the Eagles are not going to trade Barkley. Despite the potential for a strong return, this decision by the Eagles not to trade Barkley is actually the right call for a few different reasons.
Why the Eagles’ plan not to trade Saquon Barkley is the right decision
“Saquon Barkley will not be traded before next week’s trade deadline, sources told NFL Network, putting an end to speculation that the star running back could be on the move with the Philadelphia Eagles trending toward being out of contention,” Garafolo and Rapoport report.
This decision from the Eagles shouldn’t be viewed solely within the context of the 2026 season. Sure, the Eagles might have a minute chance to make a comeback and earn a playoff spot, but the really important takeaway here is how it impacts the future.
Barkley being traded would incur a massive $26 million-plus dead cap charge for the Eagles, which makes a trade nearly impossible to make. But, if a team offered a first-round pick, it might be hard to not take it.
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But the Eagles holding onto Barkley isn’t just about the salary cap implications. It’s also about what the 2027 season is going to look like for the Eagles.
Assuming Hurts is able to come back, that might be the last year Roseman and the Eagles try out this version of the Eagles. If things go south again in 2027, then a lot of change could come.
Trading Barkley before giving Hurts and this iteration of the Eagles one more chance doesn’t make sense. They plan to compete in 2027, so trading Barkley now doesn’t fit their timeline.
Moving on from him would be an admission the team’s entering a rebuild, and for now, that’s not the case. This 2026 season might be a down year with all of the injury issues the team is dealing with, but it’s not a franchise-altering season.
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Trading Barkley would tell the team and the fans that they’re not just giving up on 2026, but on 2027 as well. Considering their contract structures and the state of the roster, the 2027 season might be their last real year to contend.
So, a Barkley trade would make no sense. Unless Hurts’ NFL career was over and the Eagles were going to blow this roster up, trading Barkley wouldn’t make any sense.
This report, revealing that the Eagles are not going to trade Barkley, is the right call from Roseman and the team.
There might be support behind tearing this team apart and rebuilding, but it’s the correct decision to give this team one more chance to compete in 2027, instead of shaking things up, especially in the middle of a season.
