The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots have been linked for months in NFL rumors regarding a potential AJ Brown trade. Although talks appear to be slowing down, this is because an agreement has already been reached between the two parties.
On this week's episode of the Football 301 podcast, Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice said he's spoken to three people around the league, who all agree that a deal has already been agreed upon between New England and Philadelphia.
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"I have three different people ... I'm not the source person, but three people just say something because I've talked to people who are with teams, they've all told me it looks like the trades after June 1 are pretty much done. I'm not trying to break news here, but I think everyone agrees here."
Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice on a potential AJ Brown trade
There's one more thing worth noting here, as noted by Matt Harmon on Football 301. Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice reported last week that some within the Eagles organization believe wide receiver DeVonta Smith can make a statistical leap similar to what Jackson Smith-Njigba did with the Seattle Seahawks last season.
As Harmon noted, this is the second time the Eagles have told reporters they are confident Smith could have excelled in the No. 1 receiver role had Brown been playing elsewhere. While the team's public comments about a potential trade have always played down the rumors, leaks about the organization's confidence in Smith suggest there is some preparation for a world where he is the team's No. 1 pass-catcher.
There's also the fact that Philadelphia recently acquired wide receiver Dontavian Wicks from the Green Bay Packers. Wicks came into the Packers system while Sean Mannion, now the Eagles' offensive coordinator, worked in Green Bay as an offensive assistant (2024) and quarterbacks coach (2025).
So, the reporting has made it pretty clear that the Eagles have a lot of confidence in the Smith-Wicks receiver duo next season, with Hollywood Brown serving as the No. 3 receiver. All of these signs seem to indicate that Philadelphia has already prepared itself to operate an offense without Brown with the team.
Of course, no trade can realistically be made until after the 2026 NFL Draft. If Brown is traded before June 1, the Eagles will be stuck with a dead cap hit of $43.515 million, with the move costing them an immediate $20.121 million in cap space for the upcoming season.
However, if a trade is announced after June 1, according to Spotrac.com, the Eagles would have $7.04 million in cap savings this season, with Brown's dead cap hit spread over the 2026 ($16.353 million) and 2027 ($27.161 million) seasons.
All of that information combined would add credibility to the belief around the league that the Eagles and Patriots may already have a deal in place for Brown. Although there won't be any announcement anytime soon, it would be a big surprise now if Brown suited up for the Eagles in Week 1, rather than being on the field for the Patriots.
