Jaelan Phillips Reportedly Traded to Eagles, Dolphins Get Round 3 NFL Draft 2026 Pick

The Miami Dolphins are trading linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 third-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The NFL insider clarified this is Philly's third-rounder as the Eagles also have the New York Jets' third-round selection.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Miami is paying down a portion of Phillips' salary for 2025. The fifth-year option in his rookie contract was worth $13.3 million, so the prorated amount is a little more than $6.6 million for the rest of the season.

Phillips has been a source of frequent speculation leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline with the Dolphins sitting at 2-7. Many wondered whether the departure of Chris Grier signaled a soft reset or full-scale rebuild.

On the other side of the deal, the Eagles are taking nothing for granted in pursuit of a second straight Super Bowl title. General manager Howie Roseman has executed multiple midseason trades to strengthen the defense:

Phillips made a big impression out of the gate. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 draft, he had 15.5 sacks through his first two seasons.

Injuries have prevented him from building on that early success. The 26-year-old appeared in 12 games between 2023 and 2024 thanks to a torn Achilles and then a partially torn ACL.

Phillips has been on the field for all nine of Miami's games this year, and he played 73 percent of the team's defensive snaps. While he has been healthy, his production (three sacks and 25 total tackles) raises questions about how much the Achilles and ACL tears have limited his long-term upside.

A team with the Eagles' talent along the front seven can afford to take a gamble on Phillips, and Philly still has plenty of draft capital this spring.

Even if Phillips amounts to a half-season rental, he'll be worth it if he plays a big role as the team makes a deep playoff run.

Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly, meanwhile, did pretty well to recoup some value for a player who's heading into free agency in the offseason.

Because of the aforementioned injuries, it's tough to pin down what kind of contract Phillips will command on the open market. Couple that with Miami potentially shifting its priorities once a new front office is fully in place, and he may not have had much of a future in South Florida.

Flipping the 6'5" linebacker for a third-rounder was a solid piece of business.