Eagles leak wild theory that could signal A.J. Brown trade

· Yahoo Sports

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 11: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles pumps up the crowd before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images

For months, speculation has swirled around Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, and whether he would be traded ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

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We now have our latest — and perhaps best — sign yet that the receiver will have a new home in 2026.

Let’s take a step back for a moment.

As the start to the 2026 league year loomed in February, the New England Patriots were linked to a potential trade for the wide receiver. However, as we noted here and elsewhere, Brown’s contract comes with a severe financial penalty for the Eagles were they to trade him prior to June 1 — a penalty in the form of over $40 million in dead cap money.

That number drops by half if the move comes after June 1.

While Brown remains on the Eagles at the moment, since February, we have also learned that the Los Angeles Rams were also inquiring about a potential trade for the Philadelphia WR. In fact, as noted at Turf Show Times the two sides were “further along” on a potential trade than we realized here in the media.

Now, with the draft approaching and that June 1 date looming, there are more indications that a deal could be in the works. First are the moves made by the Eagles in recent weeks, as the team signed Hollywood Brown in free agency and added Dontayvion Wicks via a trade with the Green Pay Packers just a few days ago.

And now, this snippet from a recent article from Eagles beat writer Jimmy Kempski, who took a look at the Philadelphia WR room with … or without … Brown. Looking at how a potential Brown trade would impact that group, here is what he wrote about DeVonta Smith:

If A.J. Brown is traded, DeVonta Smith will immediately become the focal point of the passing offense. Smith is already something of a star receiver, even if he may not be viewed that way nationally. He has topped 1,000 yards in three of his four NFL seasons, while also catching the “dagger” in the Eagles’ second franchise Super Bowl win. Oh, and he also happens to own a Heisman Trophy and a couple of National Championship rings from his time at Alabama, including a game-winning walk-off TD reception in overtime in a National Championship game against Georgia. He is wired for this type of opportunity.

He was also pretty clearly a better player than A.J. Brown in 2025.

There are some within the Eagles’ organization who believe that if Brown were no longer with the team that Smith can have a similar jump in production that Jaxon Smith-Njigba had in Seattle once DK Metcalf was out of the way.

This … certainly feels like getting ahead of a potential move with some spin from inside the building.

Now, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman continues to maintain that Brown is on the roster, and will continue to be. Just moments ago during his pre-draft press conference he was asked if the recent moves were an indication that a trade was coming.

Here is his response:

The beauty of moments like the NFL Draft is that teams stop talking at a microphone, and start making actual decisions. Decisions that tell you exactly how they feel about a certain position group and/or their roster as a whole.

And decisions that will illustrate, once and for all, whether A.J. Brown will be on the Eagles next year.

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