PHOENIX — With the expiration of Lincoln Financial Field’s lease looming in 2032, team owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that all options are on the table for the Eagles’ future home.
One of those variables is the prospective location of their home.
At his annual news conference at the league meetings on Tuesday, Lurie explained that the team is conducting “exploratory research” on the prospect of a new or renovated stadium. That research dates back to at least last year, when the organization sent out surveys to season ticket holders to solicit their opinions on a potential stadium renovation or a new building.
Before the Eagles’ move from Veterans Stadium to Lincoln Financial Field in 2003, Lurie said the organization conducted two to three years of exploratory research. Similarly, in the next year or two, he said he aims to have a more “definitive approach” to their stadium plans.
For now, the Eagles are taking it slow with the exploratory process, using the latest NFL stadiums belonging to the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills, as well as renovated international stadiums such as Bernabéu in Madrid and Camp Nou in Barcelona, as case studies.
“Is there anything we can learn from Nashville and Buffalo?” Lurie said. “Is there anything we can learn from the renovations in Madrid and Barcelona? It’s really important. I think we want to maximize fan amenities and attract the best possible environment for Philadelphia. And to do that, you’ve really got to do the exploratory research. Don’t rush into it. This is a big decision.”
Lincoln Financial Field has been the Eagles’ home since the 2003 season.
Part of the big decision includes the future site of the stadium, if the Eagles decide to build anew. Since 1971, the Eagles have called the South Philadelphia Sports Complex their home. The World War II-era Steagles aside, each of the team’s six permanent home stadiums throughout its 92-year history have been located within city limits.
But in recent years, some NFL teams with new stadium plans have explored moves outside of city centers, or even to different states entirely. Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren told Pro Football Talk on Tuesday that the team’s next stadium will likely reside in either northwest Indiana or Arlington Heights, Ill., after their lease expires at Soldier Field in 2033.
Public funding often plays a role in prospective stadium destinations. Indiana governor Mike Braun signed a bill in February that permitted funding for a potential new Bears stadium in Hammond, Ind., which is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Chicago.
Lurie wouldn’t rule out any potential locations if the team builds a new stadium, even if that means leaving South Philadelphia.
“Whatever’s best for the fans,” Lurie said. “I mean, we don’t really go on a geographical basis. It’s whatever’s best for the fans. And I can’t tell you where [the planned stadium in] Cleveland is, Barcelona is, I don’t know. Honestly, the bottom line is whatever is best for the fans.”
Lurie repeatedly emphasized that the fan experience is his top priority in the stadium plans. He said he doesn’t have any “non-negotiables,” even as it pertains to the decision to include a dome on their home. New stadiums and renovations to existing facilities around the league have often included roofs, increasing the eligibility of those cities to host events such as the Super Bowl.
“We’re so focused on fan amenities,” Lurie said. “To me, that’s the number one thing. Just as a boy growing up, you want to have as best a fan experience. The rest is architecture, design, and where it ends up.”
The Bills’ new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. (upper right) is one of the new NFL facilities the Eagles are studying as part of their research.
Lincoln Financial Field will turn 23 years old in August. The Jefferson Health Training Complex, the team’s practice facility formerly called the NovaCare Complex, is 24 years old. By the time the Washington Commanders’ new stadium is scheduled to open at the historic RFK Stadium site in 2030, Lurie acknowledged that the Eagles’ facilities will be the oldest in the division.
But Lurie said he loves Lincoln Financial Field and called it “wonderful.” The practice facility went from “worst to best” when NovaCare was built in 2001, he said. The team continues to make upgrades and renovations to its current facilities, plus investments beyond the physical buildings into player health and safety endeavors.
Just because the Eagles’ facilities are aging doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t be improved or that a new stadium is a foregone conclusion, according to Lurie.
“There’s Fenway [Park], there’s Lambeau [Field], whatever, but there’s no question our practice facility and particularly our stadium will be the oldest in the division,” Lurie said. “We have put so much money into the stadium, so it doesn’t appear that way, and it’s still great, and people still love it, but it’s a fact of that exploration I was talking to you about.
“Do we want to be in 2045, 15 years older than every other stadium in our division or whatever? We’d have to see. Maybe. But it’s all part of it. I know part of our culture is to … maximize the athletic ability that we have of our players, our coaches and everybody. That will always be the top priority. So whatever we’re doing with [the] stadium, with [the] practice facility, if it’s not near top-notch, it’s not our goal.”
The Eagles are still at least a year away from cementing their stadium plans. The only certainty is that Lurie is considering every alternative.
“I think if you’re just humble about it and open that you don’t have all the answers, and do the exploratory work, you’ll end up with a better long-term situation,” Lurie said.
PHOENIX — Howie Roseman may have altered his approach to answering questions about A.J. Brown at the annual league meeting, but Mike Vrabel has not.
At his news conference Tuesday, the New England Patriots coach didn’t rule out any possibilities regarding a trade for Brown. Vrabel echoed the comments he gave to New England-area reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine last month when he said that the team would do anything it could to bolster its personnel in response to a question about attempting to acquire the Eagles receiver.
“We’ve talked about this since last January,” Vrabel said Tuesday. “We’re going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster, through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition. So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”
Roughly three weeks after the start of the new league year, Brown’s future in Philadelphia remains uncertain. Earlier in the offseason, Roseman didn’t explicitly rule out trading Brown. On Sunday, Roseman was less elaborate in his responses about Brown, repeating some iteration of “A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles” to multiple queries on the topic.
Mike Vrabel (right) coached a Titans team that drafted A.J. Brown (left), and has spoken of his affection for the receiver.
According to several reports this offseason, the Patriots have interest in adding Brown. The reigning AFC champions have made some tweaks at receiver by cutting Stefon Diggs and signing former Green Bay Packer Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal.
But the Patriots still have a need for a top receiver to compensate for the targets vacated by Diggs. Doubs, who turns 26 in April, projects better as a second or third receiver based on his past performance.
Vrabel didn’t express a sense of concern about redistributing Diggs’ targets, but he did stress the value of what the 32-year-old receiver did with those targets.
“We all appreciate what Stef did and being able to coach him,” Vrabel said. “But what has to happen is the efficiency in which he was able to catch the ball was impressive, whether that’s [Drake Maye’s] accuracy, ball location, or Stef’s ability to catch it. That’s something that we’ll have to recreate.”
Few NFL coaches are more familiar with Brown and his skill set than Vrabel. Brown was a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2019, when Vrabel was the head coach. The pair spent three seasons together before Brown was traded to the Eagles in 2022 for a first-round pick (No. 18) and a third-rounder (No. 101).
“We all understand in professional sports, players that are talented and get to this level have some sort of ego to them,” Vrabel said. “And there’s a balance. They have to have that edge. And so I think as a coaching staff and whatever that is, you have to balance that edge to make sure that that’s helping the team.
“Everybody wants to excel. What receiver doesn’t want to catch the ball? What pass rusher doesn’t want to sack the quarterback? What DB doesn’t want to intercept the ball? The running backs want to score touchdowns. That’s how this thing goes.”
As the Brown saga continues this offseason, June 1 could be a date to circle. The Eagles could spread his dead salary cap hit over two seasons in a trade after June 1, instead of eating it all in 2026 if they move him before that date.
If the Eagles trade Brown, what would they seek in return? Shortly after the start of the new league year, the Denver Broncos acquired Jaylen Waddle and a fourth-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for their 2026 first-round pick (No. 30) as well as third- and fourth-round selections, offering a glimpse into what Roseman could receive for Brown.
Regarding any potential trade this offseason, Vrabel didn’t express a preference between surrendering draft picks this year or in future years.
“However you can come to an agreement with another team, I’ve never really looked at it as this year, next year, how good the draft is in three years,” Vrabel said. “Just try to come to an agreement. If you make a trade, you just want to try to come to an agreement that both teams feel like they’re getting something that everybody’s happy [with].”
New Bills coach Joe Brady ran the Tush Push regularly in his previous role as offensive coordinator.
Bills coach and the Tush Push
This time last year, the Tush Push was on the brink of a ban. But the Packers’ proposed rule change failed to garner the support among the owners it needed to pass and it hasn’t come under attack since.
The league’s waning interest in banning the play correlates with the Eagles’ struggles at executing it in 2025. According to tushpush.fyi, Jalen Hurts converted on 74.1% of his attempts, well under the 82.3% league average.
No team was more successful at running the Tush Push last season than the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen converted on 92.3% of his attempts. Hurts led the league with 27 attempts and Allen trailed him by one.
But the Bills were among the teams that voted to ban the play last year. Former Bills head coach Sean McDermott voiced his concern over the health and safety of the players at the time, even though he acknowledged that there wasn’t significant data that indicated any risks.
Joe Brady, the new Bills head coach and former offensive coordinator, continued to run the play to great success regardless.
“As the [former] offensive coordinator, if [former] Coach McDermott was like, ‘Hey, look, I don’t want us doing it,’ we wouldn’t,” Brady said. “And to his credit, it was like, ‘Hey, yes, I might be against it, but there’s a lot of rules that sometimes as coaches, as personnel, we might not vote for, but once the rule is, hey, this is what it is, we want to make sure as an offense, defense, special teams, as a team that we’re doing whatever we’re capable of.’
”But once it got to that point, he was like, if the rule is in, and you feel like it’s [in] the best interest to help us win, he was for it.”
Brady said he didn’t know why there wasn’t a renewed attempt to ban it this year.
“Sometimes I’m surprised that when a rule [proposal] comes and it doesn’t [pass], do they make it to the next year?” Brady said. “Or they’re, as I’m learning in the league, is it just we’re, hey, we went all in, it didn’t go, and we’re going to keep it moving? The success that we have with it, I was fortunate that it was a part of our offense last year.”
It’s never fashionable to be optimistic about sports in Philadelphia, but at this moment, convention be damned.
It’s been maybe 16 years since all four Philadelphia teams provided as much near-future hope as they provided in a 24-hour period between Wednesday night and Thursday night.
The Sixers won, then the Eagles got great news, then the Phillies won, then the Flyers won. Hurrah.
I understand the reluctance to embrace this wellspring of positivity, and I realize that everything could go south with the next twinge in Joel Embiid‘s knee. But hope springs eternal, and it’s only been a week since spring has sprung, so enjoy the warmth of the weather and the moment.
Nothing happened Friday, so Philly entered the weekend on an unaccustomed high.
On Wednesday, the Sixers beat the Bulls by 20. They scored 157 points, their most in 56 years. They did it without their best player, Tyrese Maxey.
The Flyers beat the Blackhawks and did it without their best, or at least their most important player, Dan Vladař.
Sixers
The Sixers went first, and best. Granted, the Bulls are 14 games under .500, but Paul George, in his return from a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s antidrug policy, looked like he’s 25, not 35, for one game at least. Embiid seemed to realize his limitations, in that he didn’t play like a freshman trying to make varsity.
More than anything, though, rookie VJ Edgecombe, the franchise’s most exciting true rookie since Allen Iverson, took his latest step forward. In his last four games — all without Maxey and the first three without Embiid and George — Edgecombe averaged 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He shot 54.8% from the floor and hit 48.4% of his three-pointers.
Considering the abysmal state of the Eastern Conference — Detroit’s Cade Cunningham is injured, the Celtics are flawed, the Knicks are a mirage, and the Cavaliers have James Harden — a fully fortified Sixers lineup can beat almost anyone.
Joel Embiid returned from a 13-game absence in the Sixers’ 20-point win on Wednesday.
Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. also returned Saturday.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse was so happy about the previous and imminent returns that he actually smiled after Friday’s practice.
“I’m certainly more optimistic now,” said Nurse, who considers the recent dependency on reserves as building depth that otherwise would not exist. “If you add all those things up — other guys getting valuable growth, and these guys coming back — the sum of all of that together could be pretty good.”
Edgecombe might wear down, but the other four starters should be fresh.
“Definitely got some good rest,” said Maxey, who leads the league at 38.3 minutes per game.
Again, with this assemblage of vanity and fragility, anything can happen. The Sixers are scheduled to visit the surging Hornets on Saturday and the dangerous Heat on Monday, which will provide a better sense of where this team is right now.
Birds
The Eagles struggled last season mainly because of injuries along their offensive line, the best unit during their 13-year run of relevance. Early Friday afternoon, news broke that Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens was saying the stem cell treatments on his back were already working.
Wheeler, who had a rib removed to address thoracic outlet syndrome, was scheduled to begin a 30-day rehab stint on Saturday — 60 days early.
Last year’s cleanup hitter, Alec Bohm, batting cleanup on opening day, hit a three-run homer, a few weeks after Bryce Harper opened spring training by ripping last year’s cleanup hitters. Bohm did this on the day news broke that he’s suing his own parents for ripping him off.
Andrew Painter, who lost two seasons to elbow surgery then stunk in triple A in 2025, gave up just three runs in four starts in spring training. He’s scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the visiting Nationals.
Flyers
The Flyers are 10-3-1 in their last 14 games. With 82 points they’re unlikely to make the playoffs — they trail the last wild-card spot by five points and have to get past three teams — but they’re playing very good hockey, and with 11 games to play, they could reach the 90-point mark for the first time since 2018. Second-year talent Matvei Michkov has matured. Vladař and veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen are under contract through next season.
And it might be next season before the Flyers really matter.
However, for the rest of the teams, the time is now.
With the NFL draft about a month away, the Eagles will escalate the process of scouting prospects either at pro days or by bringing them to visit their Philadelphia facilities in the lead-up to the April 23-25 event.
The Birds, along with the other 31 teams in the NFL, are allotted 30 private meetings with draft prospects, but players who are local to the NFL teams don’t count toward those meetings.
Free agent acquisition Arnold Ebiketie, who started his collegiate career at Temple before transferring to Penn State, visited the Eagles during the 2022 draft process before getting selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round.
Here’s a look at the first of the reported top-30 visits for the Eagles.
Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Top Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr. is visiting the Eagles facilities on Wednesday, according to Houston TV station KPRC 2. Cooper was the top wideout for the national champion Hoosiers, connecting with Heisman winner and likely No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Cooper finished the season with 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Eagles seem to be doing their homework on the wide receiver class. Star wideout A.J. Brown’s status has been one of the biggest questions of the NFL offseason. Cooper’s visit comes just a day after the team added slot receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a one-year deal.
Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. is a guy I'm likely going to be higher on than most. Hard to find too many holes in his game. Speed, suddenness, hands, toughness, and RAC. Total package.
Cooper, who has the speed to run by a secondary and is hard to bring down in the open field, primarily operated as a slot receiver in Indiana’s offense. The receiver also has strong hands at the catch point, terrific body control in contested catch situations, and can create after the catch — according to Pro Football Focus, he forced 27 missed tackles last season.
He didn’t have a diverse route tree in college and doesn’t command many, if any outside receiver targets, but he’s a receiver that will thrive on vertical throws and winning one-on-one matchups in the slot against nickels and safeties.
The Eagles are adding an option for their vacant third receiver spot, agreeing to terms with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer on Tuesday.
Brown, who turns 29 in June, is a seven-year NFL veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Though he missed all but the tail end of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury, he played in 16 games (six starts) in 2025.
Against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Brown caught two passes for 15 yards, playing on 41 snaps.
In that span, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound receiver posted 587 yards (No. 2 on the team behind Travis Kelce) and five touchdowns (tied for the team high) on 49 receptions. Brown has been dependable when healthy, dropping just two passes since 2024 in the regular season and postseason combined, according to Pro Football Focus.
Brown began his career with the Baltimore Ravens, the team that drafted him No. 25 overall in 2019 out of Oklahoma. In his seven NFL seasons with Baltimore (2019-21), the Arizona Cardinals (2022-23), and Kansas City, Brown has played 90 games, collecting 4,322 yards and 33 touchdowns on 371 receptions.
He has established himself as a vertical threat who can line up out wide or in the slot. Last season with the Chiefs, Brown took 37.8% of his snaps in the slot (159) and 61.8% out wide (260), according to PFF.
Come training camp, Brown figures to contend for the third receiver role occupied the last two seasons by Jahan Dotson, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. The receiving depth chart is currently led by A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and Hollywood Brown would join a depth receiver corps that also includes Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson.
The NFL’s 2026 free agency period is ongoing — even as the lion’s share of the league’s headline-grabbing signings have come off the board. The Eagles are one team for whom the situation remains fluid, but enough has occurred to take stock of the post-free agency picture nonetheless.
The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team of Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner and Jeff Neiburg got together for a roundtable with a week of free agency movement in the rear-view mirror.
What has been your biggest surprise of the Eagles free agency period to date?
McLane: Nothing the Eagles have done or not done so far qualifies as surprising from this vantage point. Howie Roseman essentially laid out his plans ahead of free agency. He would be selective in retaining his own players, prudent in signing others, and continue to build from within via the draft. I thought that maybe the Eagles would make an effort to keep safety Reed Blankenship considering the relatively affordable contract he signed with the Texans at $8.25 million a year. But I guess the greater shock was that Roseman would make a cornerback his first free agent signing.
There isn’t some rule that general managers have to fill roster spots by order of need. And signing Riq Woolen indicated that Roseman saw value in inking the 26-year old to a one-year contract worth up to $15 million. In theory, that is good business. But the third corner spot behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean is a luxury. Woolen has enviable attributes in size and speed, if not issues with consistency and temperament. He could be a steal on a “prove-it” deal. But he’s essentially a rental with Mitchell and Cooper slated for extensions next offseason. The Eagles have time to address holes at edge rusher, safety and find the next generation on the offensive line and at tight end. So this isn’t a critique of Roseman’s initial choices. Just an early assessment.
Reiner: Jaelan Phillips was always going to get paid this offseason, it was just a question of how much. He was a young, talented player at a premium position within a relatively underwhelming free-agent class. While the Eagles had interest in bringing him back, it seemed unlikely that they were going to overpay him, given the team’s need to reward homegrown defensive players who are eligible/will become eligible for extensions. Plus, Phillips had just five sacks last season (two with the Eagles) and hasn’t yet eclipsed his career best of 8½ sacks set during his rookie season in 2021.
He signed with the Carolina Panthers for four years, $120 million, good for a $30 million average annual value. While I figured his AAV would be high, I didn’t anticipate it would be that high. That’s a pretty significant projection, especially for a player not too far removed from a pair of serious injuries. I’m not surprised the Eagles were outbid, but I am surprised that they were outbid by that much.
Neiburg: My surprise is that it’s March 17 and the only addition to the edge rushing corps has been Arnold Ebiketie. There is, of course, plenty of time for that to change. But I expected Phillips to be back — though not at that number — and if not, expected the Eagles to bring in another top-end talent like Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby. It’s the lone position on the team right now screaming for an infusion of talent, so I’d expect something to change relatively soon.
New Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt (86) arrives from Jacksonville with a sterling reputation as a blocker.
Which new Eagles face needs to be the most immediate difference-maker?
McLane: The pickings are slim here so I’ll go with Ebiketie. I don’t imagine the Eagles will go into next season with the former Falcon as the third outside linebacker behind Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. But right now that’s where he lines up in the pecking order. Ebiketie dropped down the depth chart in Atlanta after new faces arrived last season, but he was still effective. He had a solid 16.4% pressure rate, if only two sacks. He had six sacks in each of the two previous seasons, though.
Ebiketie projects as more than a serviceable rotation edge rusher. The same could have been said for Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche — two outside linebackers the Eagles signed to one-year contracts a year ago that didn’t exactly pan out. It wasn’t all their fault. They weren’t given much of chance. Roseman traded for Phillips and Brandon Graham was lured out of retirement. As stated above, the GM is likely to add more bodies at the position, even if it isn’t a No. 1 guy. Until then, Ebiketie will have to do the heavy lifting as the projected No. 3.
Neiburg: The answer for me right now is Johnny Mundt, which probably says more about the quiet nature of the free agent class so far. The second tight end isn’t all that sexy. But I think Mundt’s job with the Eagles is a more important one than Woolen’s. Sure, Woolen is the high-profile name, but we saw last year that CB2, in this defense, with Mitchell and DeJean, wasn’t that much of an issue. Adoree’ Jackson did fine, and Woolen is better. The running game, on the other hand, suffered from poor blocking from the tight ends. That needs to change, especially in this new scheme, to get the offense back on track. Mundt needs to be as advertised. Woolen, meanwhile, can get away with just being OK.
Reiner: With Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra now under contract in 2026, the addition of the 31-year-old Mundt is all the more important. Howie Roseman admitted in advance of the combine that the Eagles needed a more diverse skill set in the tight ends room last season, given Goedert, Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson were stronger receivers than they were blockers.
That’s where Mundt comes in. The Eagles’ run game is poised to lean more into a wide-zone scheme under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Mundt should be familiar with the revamped run game and the coaches installing it. He played with Mannion with the Rams in 2017 and 2018 and the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and 2023. New Eagles offensive line coach Chris Kuper also served in the same role in Minnesota while Mundt was on the team. Given the struggles of last year’s unit, Mundt has the potential to make a positive impact on the ground as a blocker. After all, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell once called him “the best third tight end in the NFL.”
Jordan Mailata (left), Lane Johnson (center) and Landon Dickerson (right) are the present of the Eagles offensive line. The Eagles know they must think about the future in the trenches.
Name a position that concerns you heading into next month’s draft.
Reiner: Edge rusher. The Eagles could still use some more pass-rush prowess on the edge, especially after a quiet wild-card showing from the group (no sacks, just one quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus). Last year, the Eagles went into the season with Smith and Hunt as their top two edge rushers and ended up acquiring Phillips at the trade deadline to lead the group. Roseman ought to take a more proactive approach this year and add an impact player at the position before the season begins. Then, the Eagles should be set at the position for 2026 (and potentially beyond), as Smith and Hunt are promising, yet still developing.
Neiburg: In the immediate future, it’s edge rusher, but the long-term future of the offensive line is my primary concern for the state of this Eagles roster, and one they will need to help address in the draft. Lane Johnson’s career is winding down. Injuries and pain could soon force Landon Dickerson to retire before he hits 30. Cam Jurgens, like Dickerson, just got a treatment for his ailments in Colombia that they don’t do in the U.S. A position that has long been a strength of the Eagles has a lot of question marks as they enter the 2026 season.
McLane: I’ve mentioned the holes at edge rusher and safety, but I’m looking at a position with a longtime returning starter with question marks: left guard. We know that Dickerson will be back for a sixth season. Will he be able to finish it? I think that’s a fair question considering doubts he expressed about his future at the end of the season, and from sources close to Dickerson who know the full extent of injuries he’s played through the last several seasons. There might not be a tougher player on the roster, but a nowhere-near-100-percent Dickerson was often a detriment to the offense in 2025.
As Jeff mentions, he addressed his ailing body by receiving stem cell treatment, following Jurgens to Colombia earlier this month. Jurgens doesn’t get off scot-free. His regression last season wasn’t solely because he wasn’t full recovered from back surgery. He needs to bounce back. But the Eagles didn’t reduce the number of years left his contract like they did with Dickerson. They clearly know the end is nearing for the former Pro Bowler. They don’t have an obvious backup at this point after Brett Toth and Matt Pryor left in free agency. Roseman will likely add a veteran. But he may have to start thinking about finding a replacement in the draft, and that’s on top of preparing for Johnson’s retirement, which could be coming in a year.
Will the Eagles have regrets over whatever their decision is on A.J. Brown?
Crystal ball: What will we be saying about A.J. Brown at the end of the 2026 season?
Neiburg: Hello from late January. The Eagles just lost in the NFC title game despite A.J. Brown’s eight catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles never got an offer worthy of parting with Brown, and so they kept him on the team and ran it back with Brown and DeVonta Smith at the top of the depth chart. Mannion’s offense opened up the passing and running games a bit, and Brown did fire off a few cryptic social media posts, but he went over 1,000 yards for the fifth consecutive season.
Reiner: Brown is still a great player … whether he is on the Eagles or not. Lately, it seems like “not” is the more likely outcome for the two parties. Perhaps the Eagles will wait to move him until after June 1, when they can spread out his dead cap charge over the next two seasons. Regardless, whoever ends up with Brown in 2026 is the better-off team. Even a 29-year-old Brown can make a difference in an offense, given he posted a paltry 1,003 receiving yards in a relatively down season in 2025.
McLane: I doubt there will be one uniform statement said about Brown, whether he’s with the Eagles or not. I suspect there will be a growing chorus, however, suggesting that he has taken another slight step back. We saw glimpses of that last season and perhaps that is why Brown voiced his frustrations in the middle of last season. He was still great at times. And it wasn’t like his average separation numbers when targeted dropped. He actually had a slight increase from 2.1 to 2.2 yards, per Next Gen Stats. But dropped passes and an occasional lack of effort were concerning. Jalen Hurts and Kevin Patullo weren’t solely to blame for last season.
Roseman wouldn’t be open to trading Brown if there wasn’t evidence that he’s slipping in his age-29 year. Every team knew about his knee concerns before the draft. The Eagles are the only ones to know how they’re holding up as he enters his eighth season. Any potential partner would perform a physical before signing off on a trade. But Brown isn’t coming off knee surgery like Maxx Crosby. There’s an uncertain expiration date with chronic injury. And some receiver-needy team is likely to take that risk. The Patriots or some other suitor will have to meet Roseman’s demands, but the asking price could drop post-June 1, especially if the Eagles draft a receiver.
Johnson tweeted an eyes-alerted emoji and tagged Crosby, who was on the trade block. It was a clear indication of what Johnson thought Howie Roseman should do.
The general manager should’ve heeded his best player’s advice, especially because it might be his best player’s last season. The Eagles have a one-year Lane Johnson window, and they would be foolish to not take advantage of it. When Johnson quits, the offensive line will implode. It no longer will mask the shortcomings of quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni.
As things stand, assuming their offensive line returns healthier — left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens have injury issues as well — and assuming they don’t do something stupid, like trade star receiver A.J. Brown, then the Eagles will be the best team in the NFC East, again.
If they’d somehow managed to land Crosby, then they might have been able to offset the talent deficit left by trading Brown. As it stands, Brown remains as precious as ever.
The move also seems to take one of the most likely suitors for Brown off the table. The Ravens just spent their trade capital on Crosby, which leaves the Patriots and Broncos as the Eagles’ most likely trade partners.
Nobody who’s been around Johnson for more than a minute believed that he was seriously considering retirement after the 2025 season. Johnson will be 36 when the season starts, he remains a superior right tackle, and, despite missing eight games with a foot injury last season (including playoffs), he has been remarkably durable. Also, he absolutely loves being Lane Johnson.
Beyond next season? That’s a different story.
A team source told me last month that he believes Johnson’s career beyond 2026 depends on how 2026 goes. It depends on how much Johnson likes new offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who replaced legendary Jeff Stoutland, who quit. It depends on how much Johnson likes new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who will replace foundations of Sirianni’s basic offensive tenets. And, more than anything, it will depend on how much success the Eagles have after their massive Super Bowl hangover season of frustration and malcontent.
Johnson wants to go out on top. He knew that Crosby would immediately have made the Eagles the league’s top dog.
Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson dons a dog mask as he walks off the field following the team’s 15-10 playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 13, 2018.
Crosby also makes about $30 million each of the next two seasons.
It would have been worth it. If they’re considering giving Jaelan Phillips $25 million per season — they shouldn’t, but they are — then they shouldn’t have blinked at Crosby’s price tag.
The disappointment resonates louder because the Birds considered adding costly edge talent before.
They pursued Micah Parsons last offseason, but the Cowboys, wary of reinforcing their chief rival, refused to trade him to the Eagles. They instead traded Parsons to the Packers, who sent Dallas two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Why fret over a deal that didn’t get done? Because Crosby is great.
Since 2022, only five players have more than his 44½ sacks. No one has more than his 90 tackles for loss, and he led all edge players with 186 solo tackles.
He is great, and he would make the D-Line great again. Don’t forget that it was a monster D-line that took the Birds to their second title two years ago.
Saquon Barkley might have set a rushing record, but the Eagles’ top-ranked defense was the top-ranked defense because it had the top-ranked pass defense, and that was predicated on a dominant defensive line. Free agency cost that line Josh Sweat and Milton Williams. Injury cost Carter three games and diminished him for several others. The defense dipped from No. 1 to No. 13.
A deal for Maxx Crosby (98), now a Raven, might have helped Lane Johnson land his third Super Bowl title as an Eagle.
Too good to be gone
There is no argument that Johnson is an all-time Eagles great, and by far the best Bird during the current nine-year Golden Era. In fact, considering his consistent excellence over these nine seasons, there’s an argument that Johnson might be the best Eagle ever. Johnson might at least be the third-best Eagle in history, after Chuck Bednarik and Reggie White.
A third Super Bowl title would cement Johnson’s status as an all-timer not just in Philadelphia but in the NFL. It would help folks forget his two PED suspensions. It would help ease his path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the best player on a dynastic team that won three Super Bowls in 10 years.
But, as Johnson knows, he can’t do it by himself. As Johnson knows, there may be no tomorrow. That’s why he wanted Crosby.
It’s why the Eagles must retain Brown, warts and all.
Brown has complained about the passing game’s inefficiency in each of the past two seasons. Last season, Brown even reportedly asked to be traded, multiple times.
In his four seasons as an Eagle, Brown ranks fifth in the NFL in total yards, and his 14.8 yards-per-catch average is better than any of the four players ahead of him. He’s also sixth in touchdown catches. This, despite ranking 10th among wide receivers in total catches — a byproduct of Hurts’ reluctance to pass in general, and his reluctance to pass into the tight windows of coverage Brown’s excellence attracts.
Brown already is the best receiver in franchise history. He’s an all-timer, just like Johnson.
If the Eagles had added Crosby, 2026 would have been theirs.
Now that he’s gone, they cannot afford to lose what they’ve got.
Five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby is heading to the Baltimore Ravens, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Friday night.
Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until the NFL’s new year starts next week.
The Las Vegas Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one of the people said.
The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks last season and has reached double digits four times in his seven seasons.
At least that’s what Frank Reich is hoping. The new Jets offensive coordinator is reportedly eyeing Carson Wentz as New York’s preferred option at quarterback, per SNY’s Connor Hughes. Wentz, a pending free agent, signing with the Jets would mark the third time the pair have crossed paths. Reich previously coached Wentz, now 33, with the Eagles and the Colts.
A source told SNY that “no one loves Wentz more than Frank.”
As the Eagles offensive coordinator, Reich coached Wentz during the quarterback’s rookie season of 2016 and then in 2017. In his second year, Wentz was the MVP favorite, throwing for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns, before tearing his ACL in Week 13. Without Wentz, the Eagles would go on to win Super Bowl LII behind the heroics of backup quarterback Nick Foles.
After the Super Bowl victory, Reich was hired as head coach of the Colts. The offensive guru looked to build a contender behind then-Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, but Reich only got one year out of the Stanford grad. Luck abruptly retired at age 29, leading to a carousel of quarterbacks during the rest of Reich’s five-year Colts tenure.
In the 2021 season, Reich reunited with Wentz — who was ousted alongside former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson — via trade. Wentz passed for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdowns in 2021, leading the Colts to a 9-8 record. In the final game of the season, with a playoff berth on the line, the Colts mustered just 11 points against the lowly 3-14 Jaguars. Wentz was traded to Washington for draft capital that offseason.
The Washington Commanders are one of the five teams Carson Wentz has played for since leaving the Eagles.
After a 2-4 start in Washington, Wentz suffered a broken finger and was replaced by Tyler Heinecke for the remainder of that year. Since then, he has bounced around the league in backup roles with the Rams, Chiefs, and most recently the Vikings.
Meanwhile, Reich lasted with the Colts until a 3-5-1 start in 2022 led to his firing. He was hired as the Panthers head coach in 2023 but was fired after a 1-10 start. Before taking the Jets OC job this offseason, Reich was most recently the interim head coach at Stanford.
In the midst of Wentz’s rookie season of 2016, Reich described Wentz as “mentally and physically very tough” in an interview with The Inquirer. “You’ve got to be able to play the position and certainly to play here in this city, and he welcomes that, and we welcome that,” Reich continued.
Ten years later, the same can be said for the situation the two would enter together in New York. The Jets have not had a winning season since 2015 and finished last year 3-14 behind the play of Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook at quarterback.
NFL free agency kicks off Monday, as players and teams can begin negotiating deals, which can be officially signed on Wednesday.
After 65 years of honoring athletes, organizations, and teams for their on-field success, the John Wanamaker Athletic Award is entering its next chapter — and it’s bringing a new legacy with it.
The newly renamed Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award pays tribute to both Wanamaker and former Phillies president, the late David Montgomery.
As part of the change, the award — which was previously presented to “the athlete, team or organization which has done the most to reflect credit upon Philadelphia and to the team or sport in which they excel” — will now focus more on athletes’ off-field accomplishments. It will honor recipients’ work in their communities and their love for the city.
This year, that’s Jordan Mailata. The Eagles offensive tackle will be the first to receive the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award, in recognition of his work with The Philly Specials.
The award, which was previously presented by PHL Sports, is now under the direction of the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, a group with the mission to enrich the lives of every child through the power of sports.
The name change is intentional. And the inspiration behind it came to Beth Devine, the executive director of PYSC, when she was walking through City Hall and saw the Wanamaker statue.
“It just came crashing into my brain,” Devine said. “This article was written after Dave died, and the author said in his opportunity working with Dave, he asked him how he wanted to be remembered. And Dave never liked to answer that question. … But, then he finally answered by saying, ‘Go to Wanamaker statue at City Hall and see what it says. That’s how I want to be remembered.’
“There’s only one word besides his name and it’s ‘Citizen.’ Dave was just a true citizen of Philadelphia. Everything he did was for the betterment of the city and the people of the city. That was when my hesitancy on the whole thing just melted away and I said of course, that’s what it is.”
Former Phillies president and CEO David Montgomery (right) and chairman Bill Giles attend Pat Gillick’s 2011 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y.
While the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award is named after two native Philadelphians, its first recipient was born halfway around the world. Still, Mailata’s contributions to the city are undeniable.
The Philly Specials, the holiday band featuring fellow Eagles tackle Lane Johnson and former center Jason Kelce, raised over $4 million with their first two albums, and used the proceeds from their third to launch “Operation Snowball,” which provided Christmas gifts to every public and charter school student and teacher in Philadelphia.
But it’s about more than just the former Australian rugby player’s charity work.
“There are a lot of worthy people, but I think that the way people take to him is a little different,” Devine said. “He comes across as just this down to Earth guy. If you think about his path, it’s almost accidental. He was a rugby player from another country. But I think the way he has embraced Philadelphia is important.
“He seems like the down-to-Earth guy that reminded me of David. I think he shared his love for the city and I think it’s interesting that he’s not a Philadelphian, certainly, because he has embraced Philadelphia as his own. He’s ours and I think he knows that and embraces that too. He makes you feel good about what he is and what he’s doing and that’s how Dave was.”
Montgomery was the team’s president when it moved to Citizens Bank Park in 2004.
Montgomery, who was the president of the Phillies for 17 years, passed away from cancer in 2019 at 72 years old. During his tenure, he oversaw the team’s transition to Citizens Bank Park and its most recent World Series title in 2008.
In 2020, Montgomery was posthumously named the winner of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 2024, he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.
There are plenty of accolades Montgomery will be remembered for, but Beth will always remember him for his dedication to the community. He always showed up — even if that meant making meetings right after cancer treatment.
“We had a meeting [scheduled] in this really specific place, and I was like, that’s interesting,” Devine recalled. “But me and two other board members went down to meet him and it turns out he wanted it there because he had treatment. He came across the street from treatment to talk through next steps for the organization. He definitely was not a chair in name. He did the work.”
Now, under the stewardship of PYSC, his impact will continue to grow with the Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award.
“We couldn’t be happier that PYSC, an organization that does fantastic work, is taking the torch and moving forward with the award and connecting it to David and his family,” said Larry Needle, the executive director of PHL Sports. “It just feels right and David would be so proud of the legacy of PYSC and the thousands of young people that they impact every year.
“It’s just the perfect time, perfect fit.”
Jordan Mailata has gone from a seventh-round pick to an All-Pro left tackle and Super Bowl champion.
The Montgomery-Wanamaker Citizens Award will be presented to Mailata, who was also the Eagles’ 2025 nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year, at the new Philadelphia Sports Legacy Honors on May 20 at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center.
As the award enters its next era, Devine is excited to preserve the Wanamaker Award’s tradition, while also being able to honor Montgomery.
“The legacy doesn’t change, it just shifts,” Devine said. “I don’t look at this lightly by any stretch because it couldn’t be more like the stars have aligned. And I feel that every day.”
Needle added: “The idea that the award will carry on in his name just couldn’t be more special and more perfect.”
