
Things are starting to heat up across the National Football League.
The offseason is still young, but the movement started to pick up steam across the league on Monday with the Miami Dolphins releasing Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb. The Philadelphia Eagles will have a decision to make for themselves. Will they hold onto AJ Brown this offseason or look to make a trade?
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
This question has already dominated headlines and has shown no signs of slowing down. But what could a deal bring back to town? ESPN's Bill Barnwell pitched various mock trades "that fit for both teams" and floated Brown for the Denver Broncos in a big package.
"Broncos get aggressive in their pass game," Barnwell wrote. "Broncos get: WR A.J. Brown, 2026 fifth-round pick. Eagles get: CB Riley Moss, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick. Brown's situation with the Eagles is tenuous, and I would argue that there's a better chance of the star wide receiver sticking with Philadelphia for another year than some might think. Roseman downplayed the possibility of trading Brown when he was asked in mid-January. That partly might be because a Brown trade would be financially difficult; the Eagles would be on the hook for $43.5 million in dead money if they traded Brown before June 1.
"That's manageable in the modern NFL with a cap north of $300 million, but the Eagles could be stuck with stiff dead cap hits if Dallas Goedert and Brandon Graham don't return, and Lane Johnson retires. The bigger concern for Roseman is that he would be trading Brown away at the lowest point of his potential value. In 2025, Brown posted his worst numbers in terms of per-game efficiency since his final year with the Titans. There were on- and off-field frustrations, culminating in a playoff loss where Brown dropped multiple passes and argued with coach Nick Sirianni on the sideline."
For the Eagles, they should not trade Brown unless there is a package that Howie Roseman and the franchise simply cannot turn down. He's a superstar and has a long-term contract already. Plus, he's just 28 years old. In this mock trade, the Eagles would receive a 25-year-old corner in Moss, a second-round pick, and a 2027 fifth-round pick for Brown and a 2026 fifth-rounder. So, essentially, the Eagles would be getting Moss and a second and swapping the fifth-rounders.
Moss is an intriguing corner. He had 19 pass breakups in 2025 and started all 17 games for the Broncos. He also had an interception, one sack and 80 total tackles. He had a 64.9 PFF grade in 2025 (49th out of 114 qualified corners). He does only have one more season of control left, through. So, the Eagles would get a high-end band-aid for the cornerback room to pair with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean plus a second-rounder. The fifth-rounders would essentially offset.
Moss is a very good player and the second-round pick would be nice, but the Eagles shouldn't trade Brown unless there is no doubt in the return. Arguably, this return would leave questions for Philadelphia.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!