The report about the Eagles offering Malcolm Jenkins in a trade for Brandin Cooks seems like total bullcrap

So there I was sitting in the Tastykake studios at SportsRadio 94WIP on Saturday evening, co-hosting BGN Radio live along with my great friends John Barchard and James Seltzer. And all of a sudden I see that report you’ve probably seen by now, the one about the Eagles offering Malcolm Jenkins (plus multiple draft picks) to the Saints in exchange for Brandin Cooks.

At first, I didn’t know what to think. But now that I’ve had more time to think about it, I’ve come to realize I don’t buy this report at all. Quite frankly, it seems like bullshit to me.

I don’t mean any disrespect to Pro Football Talk’s reporting. I just find it very hard to believe. A few thoughts on why this rumor is a bunch of BS:

• The Eagles really like Jenkins. Not only is he a great player, but he’s also an important team leader and he does tremendous work off the field as well. The NFL isn’t Madden (as Asante Samuel once pointed out). You don’t just trade your defensive captain so easily because you need a wide receiver. That kind of trade doesn’t fall in line with “emotional intelligence.”
• Trading Jenkins would have left Philadelphia with exactly one starting player in their secondary: safety Rodney McLeod. That’s it. No cornerbacks and only one safety. And on top of that, the Eagles wouldn’t have had third and fourth round picks to help fix those holes. Who is buying the idea the Eagles would have put themselves in that position?
• This rumored trade makes no sense from a money perspective. Trading Jenkins would create $6 million in dead money compared to only $1.5 million saved.
• The Saints have been leaking a bunch of dumb crap ever since the Cooks trade rumors emerged. Remember that report about New Orleans turning down No. 18 overall in exchange for Cooks? We obviously know that was #FakeNews now that the Patriots acquired him for No. 32 (plus a swap of third and fourth rounders). They also tried to spew some bullshit about how they were prepared to keep Cooks if no one wanted him. All while his teammates were publicly taking shots at him on Twitter! Look, I don’t know exactly what the Saints would gain from leaking this rumored trade, but I don’t see why it would be coming from the Eagles because they have nothing to gain here. So if it’s not either one of those sides, who would it be?

Ultimately, none of this really matters now. What’s done is done. Cooks is a member of the Patriots. The Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery in free agency and therefore didn’t have to give up any draft picks to get him. Philadelphia also acquired a deep threat in Torrey Smith, who is clearly a lesser player than Cooks, but boasts the second best career yards per reception among active NFL players.

We might not ever find out what happened for sure. But it’s time to move forward and put the past behind us.