The deal would have sent edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie to Cincinnati for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Then Over The Cap’s compensatory pick expert Nick Korte pointed out a problem: making the trade would have cost the Bengals a 2027 third-round compensatory pick they were in line to get for losing Trey Hendrickson to Baltimore.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter then reported that the Bengals were calling it off. Rapoport added that while the sides had reached an agreement, the deal was never made official.
Sources: The #Eagles aren't done, trading edge Arnold Ebiketie to the #Bengals in exchange for 2027 6th round pick. https://t.co/8EYzDf6px6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 10, 2026
83 Minutes From Done To Dead
The agreement surfaced at 10:56 a.m. ET, Korte posted about the comp pick issue at 11:24 a.m., and the trade was called off at 12:19 p.m.
The problem comes down to how the compensatory formula works. Ebiketie signed a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason as a compensatory free agent, so he would have counted the same way for Cincinnati if the Bengals traded for his contract.
The Bengals lost three compensatory free agents this offseason and signed two, which had them in line for the third-rounder tied to Hendrickson. Adding Ebiketie would have made it three lost and three gained, wiping that pick out.
The Eagles had a sixth-round compensatory pick cancelled out by signing EDGE Arnold Ebiketie. Now Philadelphia is getting a slightly higher pick back from the Bengals in return for Ebiketie. (They traded away their 2027 sixth-round pick in a package for WR Dontayvion Wicks.) https://t.co/iO2DtGh1mh
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) November 10, 2026
Korte noted the Bengals may have counted offensive lineman Cordell Volson as one of their losses. But Volson hasn’t played a snap this season, so he doesn’t count toward the formula.
Ebiketie Stays In Philly For Now
Giving up a third-round pick for Ebiketie would have been a steep price based on his production this season.
He has 25 tackles and no sacks in nine games with the Eagles, playing about 48% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps, with a 4.6% pressure rate and two quarterback hits.
The Bengals reportedly backed out of the trade for Arnold Ebiketie. They would have lost a comp pick, so decided not to go through with it.
— SleeperEagles (@SleeperEagles) November 10, 2026
The Falcons took Ebiketie in the second round in 2022, and he posted career highs of six sacks in both 2023 and 2024 before signing with Philadelphia this offseason.
