At this stage, he Philadelphia Eagles look like they are just playing an inevitable waiting game before the team trades away wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown has had some public quarrels with both franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts and the organization as a whole over the past couple of years, despite winning Super Bowl LIX with the team back in February 2025.
And whilst rumors continues to churn about the now heavily linked trade of the three-time All-Pro from Philadelphia to the New England Patriots – who appear to be his biggest and only realistic suitor – ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter gave an update on the timeline and likelihood of that potential move.
Brown Trade Later This Offseason ‘Remains a Possibility’
“We haven’t heard the Eagles come out and say ‘we’re not trading A.J. Brown’. We have yet to hear the New England Patriots when A.J. Brown’s name comes up other than say, ‘we keep doors open, we respect the player, can’t talk about other players but here’s a player who’s been great around the league.’” Schefter said on Monday.
“And so both sides continue to give this story oxygen whenever they are given the opportunity. It hasn’t gone away, its’ still sitting out there, it’ll be sitting out there for a while right now. I do not expect anything here in the next couple of weeks. But again AJ Brown to the patriots still remains a possibility.”
Although Schefter – out of an excess of caution perhaps – uses “remains a possibility”, it does feel like at this point the move is more of a formality than anything else.
All indicators point Roseman wanting to cash in on his valuable, highly-compensated commodity before it is too late, and New England looking to add short-term ability to their receiver room to continue the development of the offense with franchise quarterback Drake Maye.
Why Will A.J. Brown Not Be Traded Prior to the 2026 Draft?
As Schefter notes, a trade for the Pro Bowler would likely have to come post, rather than pre NFL draft due to the need to designate his departure as post-June 1st for cap reasons.
A trade before June 1st has the Eagles incur a $20 million cap penalty in 2026 over and above what he is set to be paid by the team already. This and an additional $7 million gets pushed to 2027 by designating Brown as a post-June 1 trade.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported back in March that if Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman does decide to trade the 29-year old wideout, he will almost certainly have to do so before next season due to the cap implications.
Brown has four years left on his current deal with Philadelphia after having signed a three-year, $96 million extension back in spring 2024, which will keep him with the organization through the 2029 season.
The Eagles are also fairly well stocked for the 2026 NFL Draft later this month. They have an extra pick in the third and fourth rounds, including the very valuable #68 overall from the Haason Reddick trade to the Jets back in April 2024.
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