The Eagles are the NFL's only remaining undefeated team and they look like legit Super Bowl contenders heading into Week 8.
But Howie Roseman is always looking for upgrades, and ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline it sounds like he was poking around a potential mega-upgrade... but wasn't willing to pay what it would've cost.
Roseman called the Carolina Panthers about trading for Christian McCaffrey last week, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports, before McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers for four draft picks.
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MORE: Roob's Observations: Exploring Roseman's magical run
Here's why Roseman didn't make a McCaffrey trade work:
"The Panthers told San Francisco, Buffalo and other teams that would subsequently call, that a first-rounder alone might get it done, and that a first-rounder and a later pick would get it done.
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NFL
"More calls poured in Tuesday, with some teams just fishing — offering a third-rounder or a fourth-rounder to see whether a discount was in the offing. The Broncos and Eagles were among those teams (both have GMs who like to investigate pretty much everything). The day clarified who was really in and who wasn’t."
Look, I know Christian McCaffrey is a great football player. Pairing him with Jalen Hurts would give opposing defenses headaches for days, and would've catapulted them to Super Bowl favorite status. I get it.
I know, too, that the Eagles have bountiful draft picks in 2024 that could've enticed Carolina. Roseman has two second-round picks, two fourth-round picks, and two fifth-round picks in that draft. McCaffrey went for a 2023 second, a 2023 third, a 2023 fourth, and a 2024 fifth. Roseman probably could've been competitive there.
But I also know McCaffrey is injured constantly, and Roseman likely didn't want to take a machete to the substantial draft capital he's accrued for a fragile player at football's most replaceable position. Even while the Eagles are in win-now mode, he's got his eyes on the future. And he's probably learned a lesson or two from the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl but couldn't sustain that level of success. The 2017 run was magical and perfect, but it was flash-in-the-pan success. Roseman wants to be the NFC's answer to the Chiefs, and you do that by drafting well - particularly when you're about to sign your quarterback to a big-money deal.
So, ultimately, McCaffrey was a no-go for the Birds. It's fun to dream about the what-if, but this team is perfectly capable of winning a Super Bowl without him.
And we still have a week of lead-up to the trade deadline. I'm sure Howie will be working those phones.