The Eagles and Bengals thought they had a deal to send Arnold Ebiketie from Philadelphia to Cincinnati, but just an hour after the trade was announced it was reportedly called off. Insiders like Adam Schefter were quick to point out that the collapse of the trade was not due to a physical or performance issue, and it ultimately turned out to be a miscalculation of what Ebiketie would cost the team.
The original trade terms sent a sixth-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for the OLB, but since Ebiketie was a compensatory free agent, trading for him would void the Bengals’ future third-round pick from the Trey Hendrickson trade. Adding the loss of a third-rounder, on top of the agreed-upon sixth-round pick, made the trade too expensive for Cincinnati, so they walked away from the deal.
Instead of speaking to reporters about the incident himself, Bengals general manager Duke Tobin sent a message via head coach Zac Taylor about the situation — who admitted he didn’t really feel comfortable with the specific way Tobin wanted things portrayed — but wanted to make it clear that Howie Roseman and the Eagles were good business partners.
Mike Garafolo said the mood inside the Eagles building is very angry and how teams move in these situations can absolutely affect future trades and the teams’ willingness to do business together. Taylor shouldn’t have been the messenger, but it was important for Tobin to clarify things and ensure this decision wouldn’t further negatively affect the Eagles.
Gn sports
