After tons of recent speculation, the Minnesota Vikings finally decided to agree to a trade involving veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard on Friday.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Vikings are sending Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles and pick No. 244 in exchange for pick No. 98 and a 2027 third-round draft selection. The move also clears $12.25 million in cap space for Minnesota.
With the Vikings moving on from Greenard, third-year edge rusher Dallas Turner now has a great opportunity to make a gigantic impact for the team in 2026.
Jonathan Greenard trade to Philadelphia Eagles clears the way for Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner
When Greenard and fellow Minnesota edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel had to miss time last season due to injury, Turner had the chance to really start to prove why he was worth the first-round pick the Vikings used on him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 23-year-old pass rusher appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings last year, including 10 in which he was a starter. In those 17 contests, Turner accumulated 66 tackles (11 for a loss), 24 pressures, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, and three pass deflections.
When filling in for Van Ginkel last season, he did a solid job. But when Greenard was sidelined was really when Turner got to play a role in Minnesota's defense that better suited his strengths.
The Vikings clearly noticed what the young pass rusher was able to do when filling in for Greenard in 2025, which made it that much easier for the team to complete the trade with the Eagles on Friday
As for Greenard's tenure with Minnesota, the team really couldn't have asked for more from him during his two seasons with the franchise.
He joined the Vikings in free agency in 2024 after spending his first four seasons in the NFL as a member of the Houston Texans. It quickly became obvious that Greenard was a great fit for Minnesota's defensive scheme under Brian Flores, as the veteran pass rusher generated 42 pressures and 12 sacks in his first year with the purple and gold.
2025 was a different story for Greenard, as he missed five games due to injury, and he saw his numbers drop to 24 pressures and only three sacks.
Now he'll get to see if he can turn things around as a member of Philadelphia's defense.
Add us as a preferred source on Google