Eagles, A.J. Brown may have worked out an agreement amid trade rumors

A recent update suggested that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman would "rather not do a deal than complete a bad one" as it pertains to trading wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. 

Brown signed a three-year, $96M contract extension in the spring of 2024, and he hasn't gone public with a trade request since the end of the 2025 season. On Thursday, NFL insider Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports hinted that there may be a reason Brown isn't loudly answering those who are recruiting him to push for a trade to the New England Patriots.

Do Eagles, A.J. Brown have an "understanding" about a future trade?

"What sources have pointed out to me is that Brown has done nothing publicly to try to punch his way out of Philly, and those sources have theorized that Brown may have an understanding that a deal will take place at some point in the summer," Jones explained. "Making a public stink does not help his position, especially when he could be on another team by (organized team activities) and minicamp in June anyway."

This offseason, the Eagles have added receivers Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Elijah Moore to their roster. None of those players is a like-for-like A.J. Brown replacement, but the Eagles reportedly "view DeVonta Smith as a WR1 capable of thriving with a larger workload." 

It sounds like Smith may get that larger workload beginning in September. 

Have Eagles been preparing to move on from A.J. Brown all along?

"Philadelphia has positioned itself to move forward in 2026 with a receivers group that can live without [A.J. Brown]," Jones continued. "At this point, it would be a surprise if Brown is not on a new team by the start of training camp."

One thing that hasn't changed is that trading A.J. Brown before June 1 would do unnecessary harm to the Eagles' salary-cap situation. Jones repeated that the Patriots "remain the front-runner to acquire" A.J. Brown, but that could change if New England spends a high-value draft pick to grab a highly rated receiver prospect on April 23.