Certain teams get bad news about Eagles' A.J. Brown as two alleged trade favorites emerge

The Buffalo Bills seemingly took themselves out of the running for Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown when the Bills agreed to acquire DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears.

On Thursday, Eagles reporter Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer shared some bad news for fans of NFC teams that were hoping their beloved clubs would pursue a trade for Brown. 

What have NFC teams learned about possible trade for A.J. Brown? 

According to McLane, the Eagles are "inclined to only deal with AFC teams" regarding a potential trade involving Brown. 

In February, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports noted that the Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are among NFC teams that could target receivers once the "legal tampering" portion of free agency gets underway at noon ET this coming Monday. It now sounds like one of those clubs may have to submit a "'Godfather' offer" to have any shot at acquiring Brown. 

Also on Thursday, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman "won’t part with a great player for nothing, especially with his team in the middle of its championship window." Russini added that Roseman wants a first-round draft pick and a second-round choice for Brown. 

Which teams are seen as favorites to win A.J. Brown sweepstakes? 

McLane said that the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens "are the most likely potential partners" for a Brown trade. The Patriots have long been linked with Brown due to their need for help at the position and also because Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was Brown's head coach with the Tennessee Titans from the 2019 NFL Draft through the 2021 season. 

Brown signed a three-year, $96M extension with $84M in guaranteed money in the spring of 2024, so Roseman doesn't necessarily need to be in a rush to trade the 28-year-old. Additionally, some think Roseman may wait until June 1 to make any trade official due to reasons related to the salary cap. 

Thus, Roseman could have plenty of time to see if a different AFC club will outbid the Patriots and/or the Ravens for Brown.