Report: Eagles have had trade discussions about Brandon Brooks

The Philadelphia Eagles appear to be open to moving three-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks. NFL insider Albert Breer reports Brooks’ name has come up in trade discussions this offseason.

Breer specifically mentioned Brooks among players from “the more cap-strapped teams” that will be looking “to get value back for some high-end, high-salaried players.”

Among the NFL’s best guards before he got hurt, a torn Achilles cost him the 2020 season. But he was healthy enough to practice before the end of the year, and the 31-year-old is under contract the next four years for a reasonable $53.2 million, and just $10.5 million this year. There have been trade discussions here.

This news comes as a surprise. There’s previously been no expectation that Brooks won’t be back in Philly this year.

Cutting Brooks has never been on the table. For starters, he’s been a beast when healthy. Not to mention releasing him would actually cause the Eagles to LOSE $8.1 million in cap space.

Trading Brooks, however, would clear some room. But only about $2.3 million, which is hardly enough to justify moving him at anything less than a premium price.

It’s worth noting that trading Brooks after June 1 would clear $10.5 million this year with $4.1 million in 2021 dead money. There would be an additional $8.3 million in 2022 dead money in that scenario.

The impetus for trading Brooks might stem from the Eagles being uncomfortable restructuring his current deal. Philly can clear about $7.1 million by reworking his contract, according to Over The Cap, but doing so would extend their financial commitment to him beyond 2021. And the Eagles might be wary about taking that approach with a player who turns 32 this year and has experienced three major injuries (two Achilles tears, one separated shoulder) since January 2019.

Again, the Eagles don’t need to sell off Brooks at just any price. This isn’t quite like the Zach Ertz situation. It’s possible Howie Roseman has been gauging the market on Brooks to see if he can fetch a better price than expected. Or maybe it’s been other teams that have expressed a lot of interest in Brooks, as opposed to the Eagles shopping him.

The guess here is that Brooks will still be Philly’s starting right guard in 2021. But that outcome might be less likely than previously thought.