Eagles' Howie Roseman doesn't shut door on rumored A.J. Brown trade

Rumors about the Philadelphia Eagles possibly trading wide receiver A.J. Brown resurfaced after he got into a heated exchange with head coach Nick Sirianni and committed costly drops in the club's 23-19 wild-card playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 11. 

On Thursday, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman may have said plenty by what he didn't say while speaking with reporters about Brown's uncertain future.

Did Howie Roseman say he is open to trading A.J. Brown? 

"It’s hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J.’s a great player," Roseman said, per Cayden Steele of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "That’s what we’re going out and looking for, when we go out in free agency and the draft, is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy. So that would be my answer." 

That non-answer may be a sign of what's to come for Brown, a talented player with a long history of voicing his frustrations regarding his role in the Philadelphia offense. Ever since the fall of 2024, some have assumed that Roseman would eventually have to pick either Brown or quarterback Jalen Hurts during an offseason or in the days leading up to a trade deadline. 

There's no indication Roseman is open to moving on from Hurts anytime soon. 

Does Nick Sirianni still want to work with A.J. Brown?

Following the loss to the 49ers, Sirianni defended Brown and insisted he has "a special relationship with" the 28-year-old. On Thursday, Sirianni suggested that he plans to speak with Brown about the club's search for a new offensive coordinator.

Earlier in the week, the Eagles confirmed that much-maligned OC Kevin Patullo would no longer serve in the role. 

"I'm gonna get Howie's opinion and [owner Jeffrey Lurie's] opinion, and Jalen and [running back Saquon Barkley], you name it, A.J., [right tackle Lane Johnson], whoever it may be," Sirianni said about Philadelphia choosing a new OC, according to Nick Tricome of PhillyVoice. 

Per Steele, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport previously reported that the Eagles may embrace "a little bit of a clean break" from Sirianni regarding their next OC choice. In short, Brown may not be part of the equation either before or after the to-be-hired coordinator joins Sirianni's staff.