ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on the Eagles’ & Ravens’ Trade Deadline Mindsets

Jeremy Fowler called into The Rich Eisen Show from a delayed flight at Bradley Airport in Hartford, fresh off Thursday Night Football, and still managed to deliver a full trade deadline briefing. Jonathan Taylor, the Jets, the Eagles, the Ravens, the Vikings' quarterback situation and Brandon Aiyuk all got the treatment.

Rich started with Taylor. Fowler checked with someone with the Colts and was told interim GM Ed Dodds "does not want to trade Jonathan Taylor unless a team is willing to give up more than they should." That's the rub. Teams Fowler has spoken to believe the Colts want the equivalent of a first-round pick, while those teams value Taylor more like "a second round pick and some change."

The Giants have been involved to some extent and seem inclined to make a splash, whether at running back or defensive tackle, though they're short on mid-round picks. The Broncos and Vikings have also been involved. "Nobody's been willing to just meet that price and get it over the top right now. That's why he's still a Colt," Fowler said. Things could change once Sunday's games are played and the Colts soften. And if Indianapolis keeps him, it's not ideal for a teardown, but Taylor would be "a boon for the next coaching staff," whether that's Shane Steichen's or someone else's.

Across town from the Giants, the Jets have a very different posture than a year ago. "The Jets a year ago, firm sellers. Right now I'm told they are not firm sellers," Fowler said. At 2-6, they want to ride it out, build confidence and get some wins. They have good young pieces and what are projected to be three top-10 picks, and Fowler noted Geno Smith is playing admirably. Would they listen to calls on Breece Hall? "Probably, but they don't plan to trade him right now." He sensed more optimism about the operation than last year, when the Jets were 1-7 and knew they were far away.

Rich asked where the Philadelphia Eagles fall on the buyer-seller spectrum. "I would probably put them somewhere in between," Fowler said. "Teams I've talked to look at them as a mild seller." He doesn't expect them to move Saquon Barkley, and would be "really surprised" if it were Jalen Carter or another big-ticket item. The names to watch are supporting players: cornerback Riq Woolen, receiver Hollywood Brown, and especially defensive end Moro Ojomo, who has a lot of interest, with Jacksonville "hot on him for a while." Philadelphia would like to keep and re-sign Ojomo, who is a free agent after the season.

Fowler would be surprised if the Eagles don't make some sort of move. "They're a team that really went all in on '24. It worked. Now the bill is due, so to speak," he said, pointing to void years that will squeeze the cap. Picking up draft capital and "cheap labor" for the future makes sense.

Then Baltimore. "They have no quarterbacks. I mean, that is part of it," Fowler said. "The defense though has been a little lifeless." From what he's gleaned, there are some leadership issues involving the old guard, and head coach Jesse Minter has almost publicly called for more leaders to step up. "I think it's a locker room searching a little bit right now."

Offensively, Fowler said Declan Doyle is an up-and-coming coordinator and things looked good with Lamar Jackson. Thursday night showed the strain, with an undrafted third-string quarterback who had no reps all year and a game plan built in three days, as the Ravens tried wildcat looks with Derrick Henry and getting the ball to Zay Flowers. None of it worked against a Jacksonville team Fowler called "loaded and a serious contender." The result: three straight losses by 20 or more points for the first time in franchise history.

Minter said afterward there would be no excuses. Fowler doesn't expect Baltimore to sell off pieces like Henry, and thinks Jacoby Brissett's veteran presence could steady things. Brissett is under the impression he'll get a five-to-six game run, with the Ravens leaving room for Lamar to return late in the season. Rich noted that would line up with a final month of four division games, and Fowler called that the hope, though not a certainty. He added that Lamar has now missed four or more games in each of the last six years, making durability a week-to-week, month-to-month issue.

Rich turned to Minnesota, where Kyler Murray tweaked his hamstring late in a loss in Detroit and Carson Wentz was named the starter. The Vikings are calling Murray week to week, which has raised questions about "a soft benching," Fowler said, as happened with J.J. McCarthy and his ankle issues. He wouldn't dismiss the injury, but noted that when Justin Jefferson declined to talk to the media last week, "that said a lot, that they had reached a bit of a tipping point."

Murray hadn't played terribly, Fowler said, but the fit was always a concern because he hadn't been under center much, and play action from under center is a staple of Kevin O'Connell's offense. Wentz is "hardly a slam dunk to solve all of the Vikings' issues." Fowler isn't ruling out Minnesota looking into Daniel Jones before Tuesday. Jones would probably like to get out of Indianapolis, and the Colts could turn to Anthony Richardson. "That's at least loosely on my radar," he said.

Then came Aiyuk, who according to Drew Rosenhaus was about to "pull a Costanza" and report to the 49ers. Rich played George Kittle's response, in which Kittle wondered aloud whether Aiyuk would even get into the facility, pleaded the fifth, and called himself "a conspiracy guy."

"Clearly George Kittle's key card in the 49ers building works. I don't know that Aiyuk's works now," Fowler said. The core issue is money. Aiyuk received a big signing bonus, and because he quit on the team, he can't keep it all. "It prorates out and you have to have time served, which he didn't serve," Fowler explained. He'd have to pay back upward of $10 million, which is why you hire a specialist like Rosenhaus. Fowler expects cooler heads to prevail and some kind of settlement on the 12 or 13 million that would be owed, with the union and the NFL Management Council potentially involved. "I doubt he wants to show up and play for the team this year."

As for a market: "At very best a minimum salary somewhere or a tryout or a practice squad spot." Aiyuk clearly wanted Washington, but Rich pointed out he torched that bridge too. Fowler agreed, noting Aiyuk "said some things about Jayden Daniels' mom" and that GM Adam Peters did not want to sign him after that. Talent always gets chances, Fowler said, but he's skeptical Aiyuk gets a job right away.

Finally, the deadline timeline. Fowler expects news to start flowing Monday, after a slow week in which multiple GMs told him teams were still feeling out prices. Some expected sellers aren't selling, including the 0-7 Chargers and the 2-6 Jets. Look for "wink wink deals" after Sunday. At receiver, Josh Downs "clearly wants out" of Indianapolis, with teams like Kansas City and Pittsburgh checking in. Brian Thomas is another name, though Jacksonville says it would rather add than subtract as it hunts for a big-ticket defensive lineman. Thomas played about 19 snaps Thursday with no catches, his fourth straight week without one, and Fowler thinks he wants out. That makes Jacksonville a pivot point of the whole deadline.

Rich's dart throw: the biggest name to get moved? "I still go Jonathan Taylor," Fowler said, putting it at 50 to 60 percent. "It's not a complete slam dunk to get done, but I think somebody will step up."