The Eagles and Bengals thought they had a deal in place to send Arnold Ebiketie from Philadelphia to Cincinnati, but just an hour after the trade was announced, it had reportedly been canceled. Insiders like Adam Schefter were quick to report that the trade falling apart was not due to a physical or performance concern, and it was eventually revealed to be a miscalculation on what Ebiketie would cost the team.
Initial trade terms was sending a sixth-round draft pick to the Eagles in exchange for the OLB,
but since Ebiketie was a compensatory free agent, trading for him would negate the Bengals future third-round comp pick from the Trey Hendrickson trade. Adding in the loss of a third-rounder, in addition to the agreed upon sixth-round pick, made the trade to expensive for Cincinnati, so they bailed on the deal.
Instead of speaking to reporters about the incident himself, Bengals GM 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 it to be clear that Howie Roseman and the Eagles were good trade partners.
Mike Garafolo said that the vibes inside the Eagles building were very angry, and how teams move in these situations can absolutely affect future trades and team’s willingness to do business together. Taylor shouldn’t have been the messenger, but it was important for Tobin to clear the air and make sure this move wouldn’t even further affect the Eagles in a negative way.
