New Eagles Rumors on Fire-Sale Trades & Salary Cap Impact After Lane Johnson's Surprise Retirement

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is "absolutely not" waving the white flag on the 2026 NFL season with the team sitting at 2-2 and having recently lost two of its starting offensive linemen, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Eagles traded guard/center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens, while Lane Johnson suddenly retired. Rapoport reported that "many around the league" are wondering if a "a selloff" is coming, but Rapoport reported Philly is still focused on contending.

"There is a lot the Eagles like, which is why, although rival GMs ask the question of whether they trade their top skill players like Saquon Barkley, a move like that would fly in the face of a team trying to win now. Essentially, the Jurgens trade was too much to turn down for a player who may have had to play guard in Philadelphia anyway," reported Rapoport.

"In fact, Roseman is just as likely to take the 2028 second-rounder acquired in the Jurgens deal and trade it for a player that can help Philadelphia this season as he is to keep the pick in a safe place for the future," the insider said. "... Based on the way the roster looks, the Eagles think they can win now."

The Eagles are even leaving the door open for Johnson to return if he has a change of heart. Per Rapoport, they plan on leaving him on the 53-man roster for the remainder of the season to ease the salary cap repercussions of his exit.

While nobody in Philly will call this a rebuilding year, it might be a bit of a reset after five straight playoff trips and two Super Bowl appearances.

Go back to the offseason, when the Eagles sent star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots. While Roseman had already lined up first-round pick Makai Lemon as the long-term successor, Lemon has 10 receptions for 65 yards through four games. Losing Brown was a blow to the offense in the short term.

Now, the offensive line is down two proven veterans with another, Landon Dickerson, on injured reserve. Rapoport reported Dickerson might garner outside trade interest once he's activated as well.

The Los Angeles Rams are the prime example of how you can quickly improve your outlook when an expensive, aging roster starts to hit a wall.

The Rams went 5-12 immediately after winning a Super Bowl in 2021. Coach Sean McVay wondered if he wanted to keep coaching, such was the state of things.

Within three years after that, L.A. was back in the NFC title game.

Roseman loves making win-now moves, and the results speak for themselves. Maybe he's ready to look beyond 2026 and start building a roster that will vie for a title in 2027.