Potential Eagles Fire Sale Could See Saquon Barkley Traded to NFC Contender

With Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the rest of the season with a blood clotting issue, many expect the team to start selling off some pieces and begin rebuilding for next year.

Philadelphia has plenty of players who could help other playoff contending teams — guard Landon Dickerson, tight end Dallas Goedert, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, cornerback Riq Woolen — and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes Philadelphia should consider making some calls.

In fact, Barnwell recently proposed the Eagles flip star running back Saquon Barkley to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a conditional 2027 third-round pick.

“At 5-0, the Vikings might very well be the team that's actually in position to benefit from adding a star back in his prime,” Barnwell wrote. “Adding Barkley would allow the Vikings to use him as their primary back while making Jones a complementary player, which is probably the right role for the veteran at this point of his career.

“… Trading a third-round pick for nearly two years of Barkley at a total cost of about $17 million would be a pretty reasonable bet for the Vikings to make given how well their defense is playing.”

The conditions of Barnwell’s hypothetical: the Eagles would get the better of the Vikings third-round picks if he rushes for 500 or more yards after the trade AND Minnesota makes the playoffs. If Barkley rushes for 150 yards or more in the playoffs AND the Vikings make it to the Super Bowl, the Eagles would then get a second-round pick.

Barkley has been nursing a hamstring injury, but he’s listed as questionable for Monday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, and he could be nearing a return to the field.

In limited action this season, Barkley hasn’t looked like himself. He’s rushed for 182 yards and caught four passes for eight yards in four games. But in his first two seasons with the Eagles, he totaled 3,145 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns while adding 551 yards and four more scores through the air.

Adding Barkley would make Minnesota’s offense even more dangerous, and it would take some of the pressure off quarterback Kyler Murray to make plays with his legs.

The Eagles haven’t given any indication they plan to trade Barkley, but if they continue to lose games, moving the Pro Bowl running back could be on the table.