Andrew Buller-Russ
The worst-kept secret in the NFL all offseason long has been that the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to trade A.J. Brown. While the Eagles could have executed a trade as soon as March, the assumption has long been that general manager Howie Roseman is planning to wait until after June 1, when the trade saves Philadelphia more money than if they had traded the receiver during free agency or the NFL Draft.
If the Eagles trade Brown right now, they’d incur a dead cap charge of $43.4 million with $20 million in cap savings. If the Eagles wait until after June 1 to trade the soon-to-be 29-year-old, they’d face a penalty of just $16.3 million while saving $7 million. That’s a huge difference, and it’s not hard to see why the Eagles want to wait.
Meanwhile, along with the part that it’s “sort of understood” that the Eagles are trading Brown, the expectation has long pointed to him landing with the New England Patriots, where he’d reunite with his former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
Not so fast.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, other teams are now seemingly getting back into the fray on a potential Brown trade, indicating that nothing has been verbally finalized between the Eagles and Patriots.
Still, while Schefter notes that the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars have been rumored to be getting back involved in Brown trade negotiations, he still expects the Eagles to send him to New England, as everyone anticipated all along.
Related: 7 NFL Players Who Could Get Traded in June
