Matt Johnson
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has been the subject of NFL trade rumors throughout the offseason, with head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman playing coy regarding his future. With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, there’s another update on the saga.
Zach Berman of The Athletic reported on Monday that very few people around the NFL “are convinced” that Brown will be on the Eagles roster when the regular season begins. Furthermore, there remains a widely-held belief around the league regarding what team he’ll ultimately play for in 2026.
“I still think this is a real possibility after June 1. The best outcome from a football perspective would still be to bring Brown back, but there’s a reason why this story hasn’t gone away.”
Zach Berman of The Athletic on the possibility of the Philadelphia Eagles trading A.J. Brown (The Athletic)
Related: PHI Eagles Showing Extensive Interest in Key Player
- A.J. Brown contract (Spotrac): $23.393 million cap hit (2026), $22.705 million cap hit (2027), $27.588 million cap hit (2028), $29.307 million cap hit (2029)
It’s a complicated matter for Philadelphia due to a myriad of reasons. Starting with the salary cap, trading Brown before or during the 2026 NFL Draft would mean the Eagles front office is left to deal with a $43.5 million dead cap hit, and there would immediately be a $20 million cap loss by moving him. If Brown is dealt after June 1, the team would have just a $16.353 million dead cap charge in 2026, with a $27.161 million dead cap charge in 2027.
The issue, of course, with moving him after the 2026 NFL Draft is that it would likely mean the pieces coming back are draft picks in 2027. As a Super Bowl contender next season, the Eagles can’t exactly afford to trade away an All-Pro wide receiver and make their offense worse without getting someone back in return who could make a positive on-field impact next season.
Related: New England Patriots Reportedly Eyeing Trade in Round 1 of NFL Draft
There’s another issue. Trading Brown could be interpreted as a sign of the organization moving a player who has been publicly critical of quarterback Jalen Hurts. The issue with that is, multiple Eagles’ sources, privately criticized the quarterback’s leadership, coachability, and impact as a critical part of an exposé by ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus on the team’s friction last season, with Hurts now being at a crossroads.
If those leaks from inside the building were meant to send a message to Hurts, it doesn’t exactly help for an organization to then trade away the No. 1 receiver who raised those same criticisms of the quarterback. That move may also send a message to the rest of the locker room that coaches can be critical of Hurts to reporters through anonymous leaks but players are required to keep everything in-house.
For now, per Berman, NFL executives view the New England Patriots as eventually acquiring Brown and reuniting him with head coach Mike Vrabel. If that happens, it’ll put the Eagles’ organization and Hurts under an even bigger microscope this coming season, all the while the offense is now without a standout weapon.
