Eagles GM Howie Roseman explains accepting the Patriots' trade offer for A.J. Brown

Few members of the NFL community were stunned to learn on Monday that the Philadelphia Eagles had officially agreed to trade wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots.

However, some were surprised that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman accepted a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick in return for Brown. After all, it was thought that Roseman could hold out for a 2027 first-rounder since next year's draft is expected to be loaded with top-tier talent. 

Shortly after the Eagles confirmed the details of the trade, Roseman spoke with reporters about why he accepted the Patriots' offer. 

Howie Roseman on taking a 2028 first-rounder for A.J. Brown: A pick is a pick

"For us to take a 2026 pick, and that’s a late first-round pick, and obviously also have to deal with the cap consequences that come with making a trade prior to June 1, it made some sense for us to look at future picks," Roseman said, per Zach Berman of The Athletic. "We’ve always been in the mindset a pick is a pick — a first-round pick is a first-round pick. Doesn’t matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028." 

Fair or not, the perception exists that Roseman and Co. simply wanted to move on from somebody who repeatedly made it known over the past couple of seasons that he was unhappy in the Eagles offense. On Monday, ESPN's Tim McManus noted that "one league source with ties to the Eagles" said that the club didn't "want drama anymore" regarding Brown. 

"I think from our perspective, getting a first-round pick for our team, having two first-round picks in ‘28 is a huge, huge part of this move," Roseman continued. "...I know there’s a lot of attention on the 2027 draft, but at the same time, looking at the ‘28 draft, I feel confident that that’s going to be a good draft as well, and that we’ll be in position to really improve our football team."

Howie Roseman calls Eagles trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots a "win-win"

Throughout the past several months, reports suggested that the Eagles and Brown had an "understanding" that he eventually would be reunited with New England's Mike Vrabel. Vrabel was first Brown's head coach when the two were with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season. 

"I think that when we looked at the totality of the circumstances and having the conversations we had with him, felt like where we were, where we were going, where he was, that if we could find something that kind of achieved our goals of getting a first-round pick going forward here in the near future, getting the money back to spend on other players on our team and other teams, and it was a win-win situation based on where he was and how he felt, we were open to that," Roseman said of the trade. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Philadelphia now saves "$50M or so on" Brown after the club signed the 28-year-old to a three-year, $96M contract extension back in the spring of 2024. 

Per Johnny McGonigal of PennLive, Roseman added that Brown "was very positive about his experiences in Philly" and just "preferred" to join the Patriots. Brown will prove to be well worth what New England paid to get him if he helps his new employer achieve the goal it fell short of this past February.