A.J. Brown’s future with the Philadelphia Eagles is one of the most interesting NFL storylines as the offseason kicks into high gear.
Brown has expressed his frustration with the Eagles offense at times, including this past season. If a resolution isn’t reached, could the Eagles decide to trade him?
One team that needs a legit No. 1 wide receiver of Brown’s caliber is the New England Patriots. They must do everything possible to surround franchise quarterback Drake Maye with as much high-end talent as possible at the skill positions.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel also was Brown’s head coach on the Tennessee Titans during the first three years of the star wideout’s career from 2019 through 2021.
What might it cost to get Brown?
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro joined Phil Perry on NBC Sports Boston’s Next Pats Podcast to discuss Brown’s future with the Eagles.
“I think, especially with the Patriots, you look at that No. 31 overall pick,” Zangaro said. “I don’t think that’s a crazy price. It’s a high price. You might be thinking the Eagles don’t have any leverage if people know the player is frustrated, but I also think there are other teams that could get in that mix.
“Maybe a second-round pick would do it, but I don’t think the Patriots’ second-round pick would do it. There’s a really big difference between high in the second round and late.”
A first-round pick would be a steep price for the Patriots, but the top wide receivers in the 2026 draft class — Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon and Denzel Boston — likely will be off the board by the time New England is on the clock at the very end of Round 1.
The last star wideout to be traded was DK Metcalf in March of 2025. The Seattle Seahawks traded Metcalf and a sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) and a seventh-round pick.
The Eagles can take their time assessing the situation with Brown. There’s no hard deadline coming up.
“The Eagles aren’t going to be in a rush to trade him,” Zangaro said. “If the compensation isn’t what they need it to be, I think they’ll hold on to him until it is, or they can figure this out. I don’t think they’ll need to rush at it.”
If the Eagles trade Brown before June 1, they would have a dead salary cap hit of $43.5 million, per Spotrac. That would be an enormous amount of wasted money for a team that could contend for an NFC title next season.
If the Eagles trade him after June 1, they’d have just a $16.35 million dead cap hit and actually open up $7 million of cap space.
So there’s really no need for the Eagles to trade Brown anytime soon. It wouldn’t make financial sense to do so before June 1.
Brown is also signed through 2029. He’s not close to free agency. The Eagles have time on their side. Will a team step up and make them an offer too good to pass up? We’ll see.
Also in this episode:
- Eagles acknowledge they will take calls on A.J. Brown.
- Mike Vrabel on his relationship with Brown.
- Dave Zangaro on whether A.J. Brown gets dealt this offseason.
