A trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals for edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie was called off shortly after a tweet from Nick Korte, a contributor to OverTheCap.com, revealed a significant compensatory draft pick consequence. The deal, initially reported by ESPN and the NFL Network, would have sent Ebiketie to Cincinnati in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Korte's post on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out that Ebiketie, having been signed by the Eagles as a compensatory free agent, would cause the Bengals to forfeit a 2027 third-round compensatory pick. This pick was originally awarded to Cincinnati when Trey Hendrickson signed with the Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals had already lost three compensatory free agents and signed two, meaning acquiring Ebiketie and the sixth-round pick would disqualify them from receiving the third-round pick.
After Korte's analysis gained attention, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals had decided to abandon the trade, citing the desire to retain the future compensatory pick. "Agreement was reached, but not official," Rapoport tweeted, adding that the Bengals "called off this trade with an eye toward keeping a future comp pick they would’ve lost with this deal."
Rapoport's colleague, Mike Garafolo, reported that the Eagles were displeased with the trade's retraction. Ebiketie, originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, joined the Eagles last offseason. In nine games with Philadelphia this season, he has recorded 25 combined tackles and 16.5 sacks over his career.