Eagles Didn't Trade Saquon Barkley, but Could During NFL Offseason

After there were some rumors about the Philadelphia Eagles potentially moving on from Saquon Barkley at this year's trade deadline, it feels safe to say that question is going to pop back up during the offseason. 

The Eagles find themselves in one of the stranger positions in all of the NFL, but Howie Roseman did exactly what he had to do at this year's trade deadline. Instead of messing around and not trying to improve his future, he decided to move on from guys who are some of the better players on the roster. 

Whether that ends up being the right decision in the future remains to be seen, but the idea from Roseman was the right one, as he now has an opportunity to get some cheaper, younger talent in the NFL draft.

How that impacts Barkley remains to be seen, but there have continued to be some slight rumors suggesting that during this offseason, it's a possibility that Philadelphia will give a look at possibly moving on from him. 

According to the latest from Albert Breer, there's a feeling that Philadelphia could retool its roster next season, whether that means it's going into a rebuild or just trying to bring in different guys, which could ultimately have an impact on what happens with Barkley and others on the roster.

“As for Barkley, I do think that there’s going to be the exploration of trading him after this year. It’s something I think they have to look at. The reason why— Saquon Barkley is going to be going into his 10th season in 2027, and so you’re looking at a guy who’s got a lot of mileage, a lot of injury history. And at some point you’ve got to ask the question, if we are going to retool the roster— and I do believe they’re going to retool the roster in 2027— then are we looking at a build that is where the timelines just aren’t going to match up? 

“Where by the time we’re really good again, Saquon Barkley’s at the very end of his career. And I think that that’s going to be the reality that they’re going to have to reckon with,” Breer said, H/T Heavy.

I don't necessarily love the idea of moving on from Barkley if the idea for Philadelphia is to compete at a very high level in 2027 and 2028. However, I can also understand why it makes sense to move on from him if the team doesn't want to try to win a Super Bowl next year. 

A lot of this is likely going to come down to the health of some of their top players, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is currently dealing with a blood clot issue. If Hurts, and others are ready to play next year, I would imagine that Roseman has a lot of trust in his roster and what he can bring in during the offseason, which could lead to guys like Barkley still being around and having a big impact on Philadelphia's roster.