This Eagles-Vikings Trade Involving Anthony Harris and Alshon Jeffery Could Work

After losing Malcolm Jenkins in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles need help in the secondary, despite the valuable addition of cornerback Darius Slay from the Detroit Lions.

Thankfully for them, this coincides with a desire to trade wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who by all means could use a change of scenery. Enter Anthony Harris, who was franchise tagged by the Minnesota Vikings just this week. The Vikings are open to dealing Harris, and were reported to be willing to take a mid-round pick for him as of last week.

Dare I say we have a match?

Instead of parting ways with even more draft capital, Philly should look to trade Jeffery, who helps fill a need for the Vikings. Minnesota dealt Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills, and now are lacking at wideout opposite Adam Thielen. Rather than use one of their two first-round picks on a wideout, the Vikings could acquire Jeffery and push that problem down the road.

A straight-up trade makes some sense, though Jeffery is under contract for an additional year. Still, his dead cap hit will drop from $26.1 million in 2020 to $10.57 million in 2021. Harris is the more valuable player, technically, but the Vikings have made it clear they'd be willing to take a mid-round pick for his services. In trading Jeffery instead, the Eagles could circumnavigate such a request, and perhaps only add in a future late-round pick if Minnesota insists.

As is the case with all of these scenarios, they must be taken with a grain of salt. The fit exists, but such willpower to create a trade out of thin air may not.