About four months ago, the Minnesota Vikings shipped a 7th-round draft pick and outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 3rd-round picks, after weeks of fans wondering if Greenard would stay or go. And now, thanks to a summer of hindsight, the verdict remains intact: trading Greenard was a massive bet.
Why? Well, the Vikings have signed no notable OLBs from free agency, for starters. Minnesota will evidently replace Greenard with in-house talent.
The Vikings Accepted More Risk Than It Seemed
Trading the Best Defensive Player Is Risky
While Greenard isn’t a complete and utter All-Pro superstar like Myles Garrett, for example, he was the best player on the Vikings defense in 2024 – – and perhaps in 2025, depending on who you ask. Defensive tackle Jalen Redmond might disagree.
Furthermore, you can poll any football fan in the United States or globally: they will tell you Super Bowl-contending teams don’t generally trade their best player on defense, especially pass rushers. But the Vikings did precisely that.
In 2025, Greenard recorded three sacks, yet the stat alone doesn’t fully capture his disruptive impact on opposing offenses. Despite being sidelined for 12 games and ultimately undergoing shoulder surgery, he still led the Vikings with an impressive 47 pressures – – five more than Dallas Turner – – and notched a commendable 77.6 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade. ESPN further highlighted his performance, ranking him seventh in the NFL for pressure rate.
Therefore, the Vikings traded a player who outmaneuvered offensive linemen more than any player on the roster. It’s a big blow for Brian Flores’s defense, especially since head coach Kevin O’Connell emphasized Greenard’s importance to the team and his value as a captain and leader.
“He clearly has meant so much to our team from a standpoint of what he’s done on the field,” O’Connell said in March of Greenard before the trade.
Eagles Didn’t Pay Greenard Outrageously
The Greenard trade rumor mill percolated for over a month until Minnesota pulled the trigger on the deal. It was just so strange that the Vikings would entertain a trade that some theorized he could be asking for megabucks – – perhaps over $30 million per season.
That turned out to be false.
Greenard received a handsome extension, yet Philadelphia did not overspend on the EDGE rusher market to get him. His deal averages approximately $25 million annually, with $50 million guaranteed. That’s less than the $30 million annual market rate Philadelphia had previously set for a Jaelan Phillips replacement. The Eagles also structured Greenard’s contract shrewdly, with a manageable $6.3 million cap hit in 2026 and no cap hit exceeding roughly $20.2 million. So, despite Minnesota’s tight financial situation, Philadelphia showed Greenard’s contract wasn’t exorbitant.
That left pro-Greenard fans wondering, “Why couldn’t the Vikings afford that?”
OLB Depth Is Gone, at Least in the Preseason
Whether it was Dallas Turner, D.J. Wonnum or Patrick Jones II, the Vikings have enjoyed “three deep” OLB depth during the O’Connell era. You can stick a fork in that tendency, at least until Minnesota signs another veteran EDGE.
The OLB starters, featuring Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, remain strong. Folks are actually excited about the combo. The concern lies with the depth behind them.
The Vikings’ initial preseason depth chart lists Tyler Batty, Bo Richter, Cam’Ron Stewart and Chaz Chambliss as backups, none of whom are proven NFL pass rushers. Previously, Greenard’s presence allowed Minnesota to rotate three highly effective EDGE rushers. Now, an injury to a starter would immediately thrust a developing player into a vital defensive role.
How’d we get here? Two words: Greenard trade.
The Return Has to Age Well
Don’t forget the spoils. Grade every NFL trade three years from the transaction date, not a few months later. The Vikings acquired the No. 98 overall pick in 2026 and a 2027 3rd-rounder for Greenard and No. 244 to Philadelphia. Minnesota then used the No. 98 pick on safety Jakobe Thomas, meaning half their return is already determined, with the other half being a future wildcard. Thomas could prove to be an excellent pick, and the cap savings are beneficial; the key is that Minnesota traded a proven superstar in his prime for two assets with uncertain NFL futures.
If Thomas and the 2027 rookie eventually ball out, this article will look dumb. Until then, trading Greenard was risky business.
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VikesNow Verdict: The Vikings willingly surrendered a proven defensive centerpiece without an established replacement, making the trade really, really bold.
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