Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown has been the subject of NFL trade rumors throughout the offseason, with head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman skeptical about his future. With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, there's another update on the saga.
Zach Berman of The Athletic reported Monday that very few people around the NFL are "confident" that Brown will be on the Eagles' roster when the regular season begins. Additionally, there remains widespread speculation around the league as to which team he will ultimately play for in 2026.
"I still think it's 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 this story isn't over yet."
The Athletic's Zach Berman on the possibility of the Philadelphia Eagles trading AJ Brown (The Athletic)
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- AJ 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)
This is a complicated matter for Philadelphia for a myriad of reasons. Starting at 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 moving him would result in an immediate $20 million cap loss. If Brown is dealt after June 1, the team will only have a dead cap charge of $16.353 million in 2026, with a dead cap charge of $27.161 million in 2027.
Of course, the issue with moving him after the 2026 NFL Draft is that it would mean the pieces coming back would be draft picks in 2027. As a Super Bowl contender next season, the Eagles cannot afford to trade an All-Pro wide receiver and make their offense worse without getting someone back in return who can make a positive on-field impact next season.
Connected: The New England Patriots are reportedly eyeing a trade in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
There is another issue. Trading Brown could be interpreted as a sign by the organization to move a player who has been publicly critical of quarterback Jalen Hurts. The issue with this is, with multiple Eagles sources privately criticizing the quarterback's leadership, coachability and effectiveness, which was a key part of ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus' exposé on the team's friction last season, Hurts is now at a crossroads.
If the leak from inside the building was intended to send a message to Hurts, it doesn't exactly help to betray the No. 1 receiver to an organization that raised the same criticisms of the quarterback. The move could also send a message to the rest of the locker room that coaches can criticize Hurts through anonymous leaks to reporters but players are required to keep everything in house.
At the moment, according to Berman, NFL executives see the New England Patriots eventually acquiring Brown and reuniting him with head coach Mike Vrabel. If that happens, it will put the Eagles organization and Hurts under an even bigger microscope this coming season, with the offense now without a standout weapon.
