Sam Darnold trade doesn’t necessarily help the Eagles

Well, it looks like the Carolina Panthers won’t be selecting a quarterback at No. 8 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

They’re instead trading the following to the New York Jets in exchange for Sam Darnold: a 2021 sixth-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick. Significant price to pay for a guy with a 78.6 career passer rating! Not unlike the Jamal Adams trade last year, this looks like another heist by former Eagles vice president of player personnel and current Jets general manager Joe Douglas.

As for how this deal impacts the Eagles, it’s not good news for Philly that Carolina presumably won’t be taking a passer. The Birds should ideally want as many quarterbacks going before No. 12 as possible to push down better non-quarterback prospects. Unless, of course, one of those quarterbacks is worth taking with the Eagles’ first-round pick. But it doesn’t really make sense they’d trade down from No. 6 to No. 12 if they seriously coveted a signal-caller.

It feels like at least four quarterbacks will go off the board before the Eagles pick. This Darnold trade confirms that three will be going in the top three to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jets, and San Francisco 49ers. The Atlanta Falcons might take one at No. 4 but it’s not a lock. Perhaps there’s a better chance the Denver Broncos take a quarterback now? Maybe the Panthers look to trade down from No. 8 with a team (like, say, the New England Patriots) that’s desperate to move up? Carolina could replenish some of the ammo they just gave up for Darnold.

Or maybe the Panthers stay put and no one trades up and the Eagles are left missing out on a player they could’ve had if Darnold didn’t end up in Carolina.