As we inch closer and closer towards the offseason, it appears the Eagles’ front office will be very active in their quest to take the team back to a perennial contender.
In addition to the rumors that the Eagles may be trying to acquire a veteran QB — a la Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson — NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport added that Eagles backup quarterback Gardner Minshew is expected to draw trade interest in the coming months.
In fact, Minshew, 25, already has generated trade talks – according to Rapoport, the Eagles had previous discussions with the Carolina Panthers, although the conversation clearly didn’t progress very far.
“Sources say during the season, the Carolina Panthers spoke with Philly about Minshew, discussing what the compensation would be. They never dug deep on a possible trade, but they did discuss what it might take.”
What Teams Could Be Interested, And What Kind Of Compensation Could The Eagles Get?
Well, we already know the Carolina Panthers are a team that has Minshew on the mind. With injuries and subpar performances. Sam Darnold clearly isn’t progressing for Carolina the way they had hoped when they acquired him from the New York Jets last offseason. Additionally, neither P.J. Walker nor Cam Newton are lighting the world on fire. They’ll be in the hunt for a new QB.
The Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks are just a few of the numerous franchises that could be looking for a new leader at the helm. The Broncos are a particularly interesting destination – they’ve frequently been connected to Aaron Rodgers, but if they miss out, Minshew could be a nice stopgap for them.
As for what kind of compensation the Eagles could receive, Rapoport suggested Minshew could be worth at least a mid-round pick. Either a fourth or fifth-round pick would be better than what the Eagles paid for him, so it should be a successful grab either way.
The Eagles could also look to package Minshew — who’s set to earn just 965,000 in 2022 — in a deal for one of the previously mentioned top quarterbacks. Clearly, there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to moving the mustached gunslinger, so the Eagles can sit back and watch how the market plays out.
