The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles made a swap of NFL draft picks just minutes before the start of the event, however in this case the purpose of the trade was more of a punishment than a pair of teams creating a trade all on their own.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was the first to report that the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a trade that saw the teams swap third-round selections in this year’s NFL Draft, and a 2024 fifth-round pick went to Arizona in the deal as well.
The trade was made as part of a settlement between the two organizations after the Cardinals were found to have illegally spoken with former Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon before he became the team’s new head coach.
Arizona Cardinals record (2022): 4-13, last place in NFC West
Following the news, the Eagles and Cardinals released a statement explaining one of the weirder trades NFL fans have ever seen before the draft.
“The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles have agreed on the settlements of an issue concerning an instance of impermissible contact by Arizona during its head coaching search this past January.
“The Cardinals self-reported to the national football league that general manager Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with then-Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in the days following the NFC Championship game. A period during which contact is not permitted under the league’s anti-tampering policy.
“To resolve the matter between the two clubs, the Cardinals and Eagles have agreed to swap third-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and the Cardinals receiver Philadelphia’s fifth-round selection in 2024.”
– Statement from Eagles and Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles also both own selections in the top-10 of tonight’s NFL Draft.