Report: Eagles had trade in place with Chargers, but miscommunication killed it

The Eagles nearly pulled off a much bigger move in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft — but a simple miscommunication with the league office blew the whole thing up.

It’s now being reported that the Eagles had a deal lined up with the Chargers to jump from No. 32 all the way to No. 22 with one goal in mind: Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. According to ProFootballTalk, the Chargers were working the phones with several teams while they were on the clock, and Philadelphia was right there in the thick of it. But when push came to shove, the deal didn’t go through.

Shop Eagles Gear Here

Why? It wasn’t because of a change of heart. It wasn’t because the Chargers didn’t like the compensation. It was a clerical error — a failure by both teams to properly communicate the terms of the trade to the league office before the clock ran out. As a reminder, both teams need to independently send the finalized trade terms to the NFL for it to become official. If there’s a mismatch — or no confirmation at all — the trade is dead. And that’s exactly what happened here.

Instead of landing Campbell at No. 22, the Chargers made their pick, selecting North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, while the Eagles had to sit tight and keep scrambling.

In the post-draft press conference, Eagles GM Howie Roseman didn’t get into the weeds about the near-miss with the Chargers, but he did confirm the team had been actively trying to move up higher than No. 31 to grab Campbell.

Eagles GM on the process behind drafting Jihaad Campbell

“Again, this was a top-10 player on our board,” Roseman said. “We do not have any long-term concerns with his health. We look at the draft as a long-term opportunity for our team. We have a lot of confidence this guy’s going to be here and play at a really high level for a long time. When you’re picking at the end of the first round, you don’t usually have a shot at a guy like this.”

Ultimately, the Eagles still got their guy — but it almost came at a much steeper price than the simple fifth-rounder they gave the Chiefs to hop up one spot to No. 31. In the end, a little bit of chaos ended up working out in Philly’s favor. But it’s wild to think just how close the Eagles came to reshaping their entire first round before a paperwork misfire saved them from paying extra.