A.J.

Brown

They also, per Garafolo, have only briefly broached with Brown’s “camp” the idea of a trade. Talks are expected to pick up near the scouting combine. Brown told Garafolo that “a lot of this is out of my control at this point.” We’re not entirely sure what to make of that, but the best guess probably remains that there will be trade talks with Brown at some point. It might come down to what kind of price the Eagles have set on the star wideout and how close other teams are willing to get to it. There’s certainly no way Howie Roseman is letting Brown walk without getting a first-round pick.

Brown appeared on Micah Parsons’ The Edge podcast, saying he’s excited for next season. Amid reports from various outlets that Brown could be on the move this offseason, the receiver, who turns 29-years-old in June, was talking like he expects to be back with the Eagles. Brown said he’s looking forward to reviewing tape of the offense from this season and the offense rediscovering itself. Keeping him in the fold for next season makes complete financial sense for the Eagles, who would be hit with a $72.5 million dead cap charge if Brown is moved on his current contract. The out in Brown’s contract comes after the 2026 season, when he’ll have just $27.1 million in dead cap remaining on his deal.

From what Russini is hearing, substantial conversations about Brown’s future with the organization haven’t taken place yet, but will ramp up around the NFL combine in two weeks. This jives with a previous report from the Athletic’s Zach Berman where the beat writer guessed Brown would seek a trade this offseason. While Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has previously mentioned that it’s hard to find great players like Brown, it could also be difficult to move forward with him as his relationship with QB Jalen Hurts seems to have deteriorated. Unless his contract is reworked, though, Philadelphia would be on the hook for $72.5 million in dead cap if Brown is moved.

Berman ominously writes “it might be difficult to put toothpaste back in this tube, and there’s too much smoke here for me to answer this question differently,” though he admits that this remains just a guess. Brown figures to be one of the major turning points of the offseason for both the Eagles and the entirety of the NFL. None of the smoke that has come out about the relationship between the Eagles and Brown has looked encouraging for him staying in Philadelphia, and GM Howie Roseman would only resort to vague hypotheticals about how hard it is to find great players when asked about a potential Brown trade after the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs.

Per Rapoport, there are questions as to whether Brown and QB Jalen Hurts “can be together for another season.” He also states bluntly that if the team wishes to trade him away, they will take a cap hit to do so. Earlier today, The Athletic’s Mike Silver reported something similar, though he believes the Eagles and a potential trade partner “might need to find a more creative solution, such as a preemptively reworked contract.” Stay tuned.

Silver notes that Brown’s talents are not being maximized. After this season, we tend to agree. Were the Eagles to trade him, though, it would create more than $72 million in dead money. Silver believes that “the team and potential suitors might need to find a more creative solution, such as a preemptively reworked contract.” Of course, hiring a brilliant offensive coordinator could always fix things. Brown’s discontent is well documented, but revamping roles may simply be the best and easiest fix.

Hurts still has three years left on the five-year, $255 million extension he signed in 2023, but according to Silver, “NFL sources familiar with the Eagles’ organizational mindset believe they might draft a quarterback this spring.” This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen the Eagles use a high-end draft pick to rug pull a franchise quarterback already on a lucrative deal. Back in 2020, the team shocked everyone when they used a second-round pick on Hurts to eventually serve as the replacemnent for Carson Wentz, who had just signed a four-year, $128 million contract extension in 2019. Hurts and the Eagles struggled mightily on offense. The switch from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to Kevin Patullo didn’t go as planned, and the team has already moved to improve on their play-calling situation next season by removing Patullo from that role. It would still be surprising to see the Eagles move on from Hurts after one down season after he lead the team to a Super Bowl title in 2024, but given the Eagles’ history of how they manage the quarterback position, this will remain something to watch leading up to draft day.

In short, Roseman complimented his No. 1 wide receiver while refusing to say whether the team is open to trading him. Per Roseman, when the Eagles “go out in free agency and the Draft,” they are " trying to find great players who love football and [Brown is] that guy.” It is the type of answer one expects to hear from a smart general manager who is willing to make big moves, and it gives the audience very little to go on.

After firing offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo following a mostly disastrous 2025 season, the Eagles should seek “a fresh set of eyes” to reevaluate the Philly offense and how it utilizes its skill position players, Murphy said. McDaniel, who designed and called plays for a Miami offense that ranked among the NFL’s most efficient from 2022 to 2024 — before the team’s 2025 collapse. Eagles players, including DeVonta Smith, said after the team’s Wild Card loss to the 49ers that the offensive scheme had not changed at all in recent years despite the Eagles shuffling through offensive coordinators. That suggests the problem lies with head coach Nick Sirianni. “Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie pride themselves on being ahead of the curve. They’d rather be a year early than a year late,” Murphy said. “Right now, it is getting late early. McDaniel or not, they need a new voice, an inventive mind, and a fresh set of eyes. Anybody else will end up right where Patullo is. And that’s not fair to anybody.”

Brown heads into the offseason with a performance emblematic of his 2025 struggles and frustrations. One of his missed connections was a brutal fourth quarter drop with the Eagles trying to stave off defeat, while he was caught on camera earlier in the contest having yet another heated argument with coach Nick Sirianni. Brown was probably putting forth his best effort, but there were too many times this season where you could not be sure that was the case. Going on 29 with one more season of guaranteed money ($29 million) remaining on his contract, Brown seems like a strong candidate to be traded and extended/restructured elsewhere. He is too visibly over his fit in this run-first Eagles offense. Brown seems like he also badly needs the offseason to get healthier. Always playing through something or other — Brown’s toughness isn’t in doubt — he didn’t always seem to have his typical explosiveness this season. Wherever Brown is playing his 2026 football, it’s doubtful he falls out of the top 12 at wideout in offseason fantasy drafts.