“I didn’t know that, my grandpa just told me,” Jaylen said in the clip. “I don’t think [A.J.] knows that, either.”
But if A.J. didn’t know before, he does now. He responded on Instagram by posting a clip from the movie Poetic Justice on his story with the caption “Big Cuz hit me!”
#Patriots WR A.J. Brown posts on Instagram after finding out he and #76ers Jaylen Brown are cousins:
— New England Sports Fellow (@_JosephManning) July 8, 2026
While Jaylen grew up in Marietta, Ga., A.J. grew up in Starkville, Miss., about 300 miles away. But despite their different upbringings, there are still a few things that clearly run in the family, starting with their elite athleticism.
They also went back-to-back in winning their championships, with Jaylen winning an NBA championship in the 2023-24 season with the Celtics and A.J. following with a Super Bowl win in the 2024-25 season.
Fans also pointed out that the colors surrounding the teams involved in each trade is similar with both Jaylen and A.J. originally wearing green and white before going to a team with a red, white, and blue colorway.
Jaylen Brown and AJ Brown:
– Disgruntled Star players – Won a title in the city that traded them – Centerpiece of a Boston-Philly trade pic.twitter.com/FkR6p8tax4
Jaylen shared the details of the Brown family tree during an event at Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his 7uice Foundation, which focuses on bridging the gap for opportunities for underserved youth.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey proclaimed that July 7 will now be known as 7uice Foundation day in the state going forward.
During the same event, Jaylen met with a young Celtics fan who went viral for his reaction following his trade to Philly.
Known on social media as “Gio the Tiger,” the young fan went viral after video showed him crying over the trade with his Celtics jersey on and what read “Filla” written over the Boston team’s name. The text on the video said that the 6-year-old was experiencing his “first heartbreak” after learning the news of his favorite player’s trade.
After Jaylen commented on the original post reminding Gio they’d “always be friends,” the duo connected in person where he was also able to deliver a hand-written note to Jaylen and interview him as well.
This is what Boston will be missing. A true community leader.
June has been a month of promotions for Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
After A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots on June 1, Smith became the top receiver on the Eagles’ depth chart. Less than two weeks later, on June 13, Smith was promoted from fiancé to husband.
Smith married his childhood sweetheart Mya Danielle at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando in Walt Disney World Resort.
The all-black, black-tie affair reportedly hosted 135 guests, including Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and his wife Bryonna Rivera Burrows. Hurts was notably absent from Brown’s wedding in May, which caused a stir on social media.
I’m glad that we have proof that Jalen Hurts was at DeVonta Smith’s wedding and that we won’t have to deal with any nonsense over that. 😅 https://t.co/GVvQFWkin0
People Magazine, the first to report on the wedding, said that despite his recent trade, Brown was in attendance for Smith’s wedding, along with other former Eagles teammates like Nakobe Dean, Jahan Dotson, Isaiah Rodgers, and Parris Campbell. Smith was among the guests at Brown’s wedding last month.
Smith’s college teammates from Alabama were also in attendance, including Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, Jordan Battle, Pat Surtain II, and Mack Wilson Sr.
From the looks of this photo Jalen Hurts was not a groomsmen in Devonta Smiths wedding.
The wedding weekend started by honoring the couple’s Louisiana roots with a “Dukes & Boots Welcome Rodeo” on June 12, that included a crawfish boil. Another nod to their home state included reception music from New Orleans DJ Mannie Fresh.
Danielle and Smith met in middle school and have two daughters together, 2-year-old Kyse and 1-year-old Kali. The couple got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2024, just over a month before Smith and the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
Now with four rings in his collection — two College Football Playoff championship rings, a Super Bowl ring, and a wedding ring — Smith will be looking to add a fifth, a second Super Bowl title, this time as the Eagles’ top receiver.
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.”
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.
A lot of NFL general managers are a lot less capable than Howie Roseman.
As for A.J. Brown, the impact of the Bills’ acquisition of Moore is being overstated.
Roseman may get the first-round pick he reportedly is seeking in exchange for Brown, but it’s no more likely now that the Bears have somehow managed to finagle a second-round pick out of the Bills for Moore. If anything, Roseman might deserve credit for driving up the price for Moore, who was the Bears’ fourth receiving option by the end of a season in which he caught just 50 passes for 682 yards. Buffalo had a clear need for a primary receiver. Dealing a second-round pick for Moore might sound more reasonable when your other option is trading a first- and second-round pick for Brown. What we know for sure is that the small pool of teams that made obvious sense as a trade partner for the Eagles just shrunk by one.
The Trent McDuffie trade could be just as much of a harbinger in the opposite direction.
A two-time All-Pro at a premium position (cornerback) entering his age-26 season, McDuffie is headed to the Rams for the No. 29 pick in this year’s draft, a future third, and change. I don’t think it’s accurate to say that the McDuffie deal is an indication of the elite cornerback market, at least not relative to Brown. Keep in mind, the Colts traded away two first-round picks and Adonai Mitchell for Sauce Gardner at the deadline. One of those picks ended up at No. 16 this year. Who knows what next year’s will be. That’s the elite cornerback market.
The McDuffie trade does give us a neat and tidy for-instance. Given the sacrifice the Chiefs just made at a more premium position, would they then be willing to turn around and trade the No. 29 pick they received for McDuffie to the Eagles for Brown? Maybe they would. Hey, maybe they will. They sure do need a wide receiver. That said, it seems far more likely that they are looking at that No. 29 pick the same way the Eagles would in justifying a trade of Brown: as a chance to add another five years of well-below-market-rate production in the form of a rookie.
The overall point is that you can talk yourself silly trying to project the market based on one deal. The Moore deal can just as easily be construed as the price a team is willing to pay to not pay the price the Eagles are asking for Brown.
Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (left) was traded to the Rams for the 29th pick in this year’s draft. Could Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown fetch a similar haul?
The Eagles are justified in asking for a first- and second-rounder for Brown, assuming what they really expect is a first-rounder and an assortment of mid-to-late-round picks.
There are plenty of comps.
The Raiders acquired 29-year-old Davante Adams from the Packers for No. 22 overall and No. 53 overall in 2022.
The Bills acquired 26-year-old Stefon Diggs for No. 22 overall and change from the Vikings in 2020.
The Chiefs acquired No. 29 overall, No. 50 overall and change from the Dolphins for 28-year-old Tyreek Hill in 2022.
It’s easy to see the genesis of Roseman’s current reported asking price. It’s also easy to see why that asking price has drawn snickers.
Consider:
The first-round pick the Bills traded to the Vikings turned out to be Justin Jefferson.
The second-rounder that the Raiders traded to the Packers turned out to be Alec Pierce (after Green Bay traded the pick to draft Christian Watson). The first-rounder was Quay Walker, a four-year starter at linebacker.
The Chiefs used the No. 29 pick they landed for Hill to trade up to draft McDuffie at No. 21.
On the other side of these deals were two of the worst organizations in the NFL (Dolphins, Raiders), and the team that just traded a second-round pick for Moore and has the second-most expensive wide receiver room in the NFL without a true WR1 to show for it.
There aren’t many other for-instances. The Texans traded away DeAndre Hopkins for No. 40 overall in 2020, but that deal included running back David Johnson in the return and was universally panned regardless. Last offseason, the Steelers traded away No. 52 overall for 27-year-old DK Metcalf, whose four-year averages were worse than Brown’s 2025.
There aren’t many teams that can give the Eagles what they need.
I use the word “need” for a reason. The Eagles need a first-round pick to justify trading Brown. The only way they might otherwise justify it is by landing a future first plus a 2026 second, i.e. the “Ravens Scenario.” We’ll get to that in a second. First, let’s explain what we mean when we say the Eagles “need” a first-rounder.
This is not abstract. Concretely, the Eagles need to be able to replace Brown. The best way to do it is via the draft, where there happens to be a number of players who could help them and who are projected to be within striking distance of No. 23. But the Eagles need plenty else besides a replacement for Brown. We saw that this year, when they had Brown. To justify trading Brown, they need to at least end up with a pick that maximizes their odds of replacing him (even if they end up “replacing” him with a star at another position). Bare minimum is a top-50ish pick. But only if they feel like they need to trade him for the best offer. Right now, their best leverage is their willingness to bring him back. Which is why they are making that willingness known.
Not many teams are in a position to give them what they need. Cross off the Bills. Presumably the Chiefs, unless Andy Reid and Brett Veach have radically changed the philosophy under which they traded away Hill to pave the way for McDuffie. Nobody is giving up a top-10 pick for Brown, so cross them off too.
Could the Ravens be in the market to trade for Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown?
The Dolphins (No. 11) are more likely to trade Jaylen Waddle for a Brown-type package than to trade for Brown. The Cowboys (No. 12) don’t need a wide receiver, nor do the Rams (No. 13), who just traded their expendable first-rounder to the Chiefs for McDuffie. The Bucs (No. 15) are brimming with wide receivers, including last year’s first-rounder Emeka Egbuka. The Lions (No. 17) have a lot of needs more pressing than the skill positions. Same goes for the Vikings (No. 18). The Panthers (No. 19) spent significant draft capital on Tetairoa McMillan last year. Brown doesn’t fit their timeline.
Next up is Dallas again at No. 20, then the Steelers, who just traded for Metcalf and like to build from within. The Chargers don’t have the luxury of trading No. 22 for Brown. Forget the Browns (No. 24). We’ve already covered the Bears (No. 25). Cross off the Texans (No. 28), who have Nico Collins and youth around him.
That leaves us with the Ravens at No. 14, the 49ers at No. 27, the Broncos at No. 30, the Patriots at No. 31, and the Seahawks at No. 32.
If the Eagles are reluctant to trade Brown to a fellow NFC contender, that would leave three teams: Ravens, Broncos, Patriots. Denver and New England would need to offer their first-rounder, because the next best 2026 picks are No. 62 and No. 63, which isn’t nearly good enough. The Ravens are in the opposite boat. Their No. 14 overall pick is too high. Their second-rounder (No. 45) is borderline, and would only make sense if coupled with a high future pick.
The Eagles’ ability to land a first-rounder is contingent on the Ravens’ willingness to give up a future first or the Patriots/Broncos (or Seahawks/49ers) belief in the players who will be on the board at the end of this year’s first round.
None of that is impacted by the cost of trading for Moore. The Ravens and the Patriots are the two obvious teams, assuming we remove the Chiefs and the NFC contenders. The Ravens aren’t going to give up No. 14 for Brown, and No. 45 is only worth it for the Eagles if they have 45 players they love on their draft board. A future first from Baltimore would give them an opportunity to move up. The Pats’ first-rounder would work if coupled with a pick that also gives the Eagles ammo to move up from No. 23 or No. 31 to draft a guy they covet.
This is a pass-fail sort of thing. There is a bare minimum return the Eagles need in order to justify the competitive hit they’d take without Brown in 2026. It is a return where only a team’s best available draft pick is good enough. There are only a few teams that might consider it. That was the case before the Bills traded for Moore. It remains the case now.
The 2026 NFL free agency period begins on Monday, when “legal tampering” will give way to a number of reported deals across the league. Free agency will officially begin on Wednesday, and the Eagles will be players — though how aggressive general manager Howie Roseman and Co. will be remains to be seen. With limited available cap space and the specter of a possible A.J. Brown trade adding to the uncertainty, how the Eagles handle this period elicits a wide range of possibilities.
The Inquirer’s Eagles reporting team of Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, and Jeff Neiburg got together for a roundtable ahead of next week’s festivities.
What’s one practical free agent move you could see the Eagles making next week, given their cap space and personnel situation?
McLane: Dallas Goedert is slated to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, but even if he signs with another team, the Eagles won’t have a clean break from their longtime tight end. They still have an approximate $20 million dead money charge from a void year added to Goedert’s contract. That’s a lot of money to eat for a productive player they may want to keep. The Eagles, more than any other team, have been comfortable kicking cash into future years. But Roseman can’t be reckless, and if trading Brown becomes a reality, the general manager would have around $45 million more in dead money on the books.
Could franchise staple Dallas Goedert run it back in Philly after his career touchdown year?
Brown’s return, though, could warrant Goedert coming back for a ninth season. He put up solid numbers, catching 60 passes for 591 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns, despite the Eagles’ pass offense inconsistencies.
Was Goedert as dynamic as in years past after the catch? No. But he wasn’t given as many chances to run in space. The new Shanahan-McVay parts of the offense could accentuate Goedert’s post-catch abilities. The bigger question is whether he can run block like he once did. The Eagles weren’t happy with his output there. You have to wonder if taking a $4.25 million pay cut last season affected his effort, or occasional lack thereof. Goedert will have suitors on the open market. Is he worth as much as the Ravens’ Mark Andrews, who signed a three-year, $39 million deal in December? If so, it seems unlikely the Eagles re-sign Goedert, unless he wants to end his career in Philly and takes less.
The draft is believed to be deep at the position and there are other avenues to finding a No. 1 tight end — perhaps a trade? — but there’s an argument to be made for keeping Goedert.
Reiner: Re-signing Braden Mann. This seems like the football equivalent of a layup (a check down, perhaps). Mann, 28, is coming off the single best season by an Eagles punter in franchise history. He averaged 49.9 gross yards per punt, making his Eagles career average a franchise-leading 49.5. His net yards per punt (subtracting return yardage) finished within the top 10 in the NFL (43.1; No. 9 in the NFL).
Mann often helped flip the field during a season in which he was forced to punt a lot (72 punts, tied for No. 4). He deserves an extension, which wouldn’t break the bank. The Eagles are just a few years removed from their previous punter woes and they shouldn’t go back down that path by starting over with new contenders for the gig.
Is Christian Kirk (13) a free agent wideout possibility for the Birds?
Neiburg: Signing Christian Kirk to a relatively cheap contract given his talent. This is with or without Brown on the roster. Kirk has been limited by injuries over the last few seasons and ran routes with a crowded receiving corps in Houston. But he had a stretch of really good football from 2021 through 2023, tallying 2,877 yards on 218 catches, 16 of them for touchdowns. Kirk’s alignment favors the slot, but he has played plenty on the outside. The Eagles need to infuse the unit with more young talent, but Kirk, 29, could help bridge the gap, and if Brown is traded he would give the Eagles an experienced running mate for DeVonta Smith.
What’s a bolder, but perhaps less likely move you could see the Eagles making?
McLane: Trade for Maxx Crosby. If the Eagles decide they can’t afford Jaelan Phillips, they could be in the market for a top-end edge rusher. Crosby qualifies as a difference maker and would be an upgrade over Phillips or the returning Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. It would cost a lot, of course. The Raiders are said to want two first-rounders and a player (Smith?) in return. But elite edge rushers are rarely available and Crosby’s existing contract isn’t a backbreaker. He has four remaining years at around $29 million per season, but only next season’s $30 million base salary is guaranteed. (editor’s note: Crosby was traded to the Ravens Friday night).
Crosby has made it clear he wants out of Las Vegas. He has expressed his fondness for the Eagles and Philadelphia as a sports town. Perhaps he would be willing to adjust his deal to expedite a trade. Roseman may be cautious for various reasons. Crosby turns only 29 in August, but he’s logged more snaps than almost any defensive end over the last five seasons. He’s also coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries that required surgery to repair his ankle and a torn meniscus in his left knee. That’s why I think the Raiders’ reported asking price is unrealistic.
There will be competition for Crosby, but the Eagles aren’t likely to repeat the mistake of going into another season with just Hunt and Smith on the edge. Phillips was a good trade deadline acquisition, but a tepid pass rush was an under-the-radar reason why the Eagles defense struggled in the second half of the playoff loss to the 49ers.
Jaelan Phillips is a top-5 NFL free agent who could end up with a huge deal in a location other than Philadelphia.
Reiner: Re-signing Phillips. He might be the Eagles’ top priority among their own group of pending free agents, but he isn’t a slam dunk to return. At 26 years old, he slotted in nicely to Vic Fangio’s defense in a short period of time at a premium position. He made an impact on the pass rush despite posting unassuming sack numbers (two in eight games). He stayed healthy for all 17 games in 2025, with the Eagles and the Miami Dolphins, one year removed from a partially torn ACL (and two years removed from a torn Achilles).
But the Eagles ought to be realistic about a potential extension. Phillips was a net-positive addition last season, but he was not a game-wrecker. The Eagles likely won’t be inclined to pay him as such, given their lack of cap space in 2026 and their need to extend key defensive players both this offseason and in years to come. The Eagles will likely set a walkaway number for Phillips and move on if another team outbids them.
Neiburg: Trading Brown … and trading for his replacement. Trading Brown is pretty bold in itself, but if it happens, the Eagles have a big hole to fill. There’s no doubt DeVonta Smith can handle all that comes with being the focal point of the passing game, but the roster is bereft of receiver depth, and if the Eagles aren’t thrilled with the free agent market — like, say, Kirk or someone like Romeo Doubs are more expensive than they prefer — they could go the trade route and trade from their roster or draft picks to acquire a receiver. Who could be available? Here are a couple of names to target via trade: Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. and Buffalo’s Keon Coleman.
Does Sean Mannion scheme require a tailoring of the team’s offensive personnel?
How much do you think the team’s offensive staff changes will inform their free agent and draft approaches?
McLane: Aside from the quarterback position, the offensive line is the most likely to be affected by the expected scheme changes. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is bringing with him a Shanahan-McVay system that will alter blocking in the run game. Will there be a complete whitewash? No. But the Eagles are likely to shift from less mid-zone to more wide-zone blocking. Those terms might not indicate how different the techniques are, but the former emphasizes more reactionary blocking and winning at the point of attack, while the latter features O-linemen firing off the ball and blocking at an angle.
Asked how the changes may affect his evaluations, Roseman conceded he may be looking for more agile O-linemen. The Eagles already have athletic freaks up front, although injury-riddled left guard Landon Dickerson may not qualify as such.
I don’t think Roseman will do much at the position in free agency. He does have decisions on reserves Fred Johnson and Brett Toth. I don’t think the scheme change rules out either for a return. But they don’t have an advocate in former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland anymore. His replacement, Chris Kuper, won’t likely have as big a voice as Stoutland in personnel. But the Eagles are almost guaranteed to expend a high draft pick on an O-lineman with right tackle Lane Johnson closer to retirement than ever.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently projected seven first-round O-linemen in the 2026 draft and then a drop-off in terms of talent. Maybe one of the top guys slips into the second round and there’s a chance to pick up value, but I’d be surprised if Roseman didn’t expend the Eagles’ No. 23 overall pick — or more in a move up — to secure Lane Johnson’s expected successor.
Neiburg: It should inform the approach plenty. Especially when it comes to how they address the tight end position. Roseman knows he has long appreciated the receiving component of the tight end, but the new scheme will require a lot better blocking than the Eagles got last year and even in prior seasons from the players behind Goedert. As Jeff mentions, it’s possible Goedert returns in 2026 in free agency, but the Eagles would need to slot players behind him who block a lot better than Grant Calcaterra. One name I could see fitting in well is Jake Tonges, who doesn’t offer a ton in the pass game but was an elite blocker for the 49ers.
A.J. Brown’s situation could have an impact on the team’s free agency approach.
Reiner: Given the expected shift in run-game philosophy under Mannion, the tight end and offensive line additions could reflect those changes. I think the prospective wide receiver additions will have layered influences, especially as it relates to Brown’s future. Naturally, the Eagles’ need at receiver becomes much more pressing if (big if) they decide to move the star receiver before the start of the season.
Otherwise, aside from adding a WR3, the Eagles don’t need to overhaul their receiving corps to fit the scheme. If we’re looking to the Packers offense for clues about what the Eagles might look like in 2026, we can expect to see more under-center play action, pre-snap motion, and misdirection as a means of scheming open space in the passing game. That space helps receivers generate yards after the catch and explosive plays downfield.
The prosperity of the scheme seems to be rooted more in its design, not so much in the raw talent of its players, a departure from Eagles offenses past. That isn’t to say the Eagles aren’t looking for talented receivers, but more so that the prototype of a talented receiver isn’t likely to change dramatically.
Besides A.J. Brown, who else could the Eagles trade?
McLane: This may seem like a reach, but I could envision a world in which Nolan Smith is being floated on the trade market, assuming either Phillips, Crosby or some edge rusher equivalent is on the roster by the draft. Smith hasn’t been a bust — far from it. A shoulder injury limited him during his rookie season, but he blossomed in the second half of his sophomore year. Tricep woes sent him to injured reserve last season and he finished with just three sacks and 11 quarterback hits. He’s good at setting the edge and has a high motor, but he’s undersized and struggles to win consistently as a pass rusher.
Hunt has a higher ceiling, is one year younger and was drafted two rounds after Smith. It’s going to be tough for Roseman to pay both, especially with defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter slated for possible extensions this offseason.
Is Nolan Smith Jr.’s long-term future with the team set in stone?
The Eagles could pick up the fifth-year option (around $15 million) on Smith’s first-round rookie contract after the draft. That isn’t an exorbitant amount for a premium position player. He has potential he hasn’t tapped into. But I’d be worried about his durability. And there will be the occasional casualty after strong drafts on the defensive side and upcoming deals for All-Pro cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Reiner: Tanner McKee. Ahead of the combine, Roseman expressed just how much he values the backup quarterback position and the importance of having a competent player in the role. McKee certainly fits the bill despite his limited action in his lone year as the full-time backup. But the soon-to-be-26-year-old quarterback is going into the final year of his rookie deal. If Roseman doesn’t see a future for him in Philadelphia beyond next season, would he be inclined to move McKee at the peak of his value to the team?
This offseason is a seller’s market at quarterback. The draft lacks high-end talent beyond Fernando Mendoza, who doesn’t have the cachet of other recent No. 1 overall picks. The free-agent market is led by Kyler Murray and Malik Willis. If McKee has a market among teams that want him to compete for the starting gig, the Eagles ought to entertain offers. But Roseman would need to get a strong return for McKee, all the while feeling comfortable about a replacement plan in 2026 for Jalen Hurts’ backup. Perhaps they liked what they saw from Sam Howell in practice enough to warrant a low-cost extension and make him the full-time No. 2.
Neiburg: Sydney Brown. The Eagles have a few candidates in their secondary who are due for a change of scenery, and Brown might be at the top of the list. The Eagles need help at safety, but they won’t be lining up with Drew Mukuba and Brown at the back of the secondary to start the 2026 season. Brown, who has one year left on his rookie deal, will be a backup again, and will see some work on special teams. But if you can convince a team to part with a Day 3 pick to acquire a player who isn’t part of your long-term plans, you have to do it.
As he made the rounds at Super Bowl Radio Row two weeks ago, A.J. Brown didn’t sound like a player ready to demand a trade out of Philadelphia. But Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman — even while praising Brown — don’t seem willing to shut the door on any possibilities surrounding the 28-year-old receiver.
At their annual pre-combine news conference with local writers on Friday, both Sirianni and Roseman were directly asked whether Brown would be back with the Eagles next season. While both expressed their affinity for Brown as a player and a person, neither outright said that he will definitely return.
“I can’t guarantee how anything’s going to play out into next season,” Sirianni said. “I can’t guarantee that, I mean, I’m thinking I’m going to be the head coach next season, but you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow.”
Still, neither Sirianni nor Roseman indicated the Eagles were actively shopping Brown. After stating his inability to speak definitively about Brown’s future, Sirianni referenced the response given by Roseman in January following the team’s wild-card exit, when he was asked if he was open to trading Brown.
Roseman said at the time, “It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J.’s a great player. I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency and in the draft is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy.”
On Friday, Sirianni echoed Roseman’s remarks, calling Brown a “great player,” a “good teammate,” and a “good person.” The sixth-year Eagles head coach said he wants Brown in Philadelphia and he believes the receiver wants to stay, too.
Roseman also reiterated his January response, repeating that “it’s really hard to find great players” and “A.J. is a great player.”
“I think that from my perspective, we’re looking to improve in all areas, and you don’t do that by subtracting,” Roseman continued.
Howie Roseman (left) and Nick Sirianni did not shut the door on the possibility that A.J. Brown could be moved this offseason.
But the Eagles wouldn’t be giving up Brown — or any player under contract — without a return. The new league year begins March 11 at 4 p.m., marking the beginning of free agency and the trading period. In the next two weeks, prospective suitors could put together trade packages to persuade Roseman that he wouldn’t be subtracting from his roster by parting ways with any of his players, Brown included.
When asked if he would go into the new league year listening to offers on Brown specifically, Roseman gave a general response about all of his players, not just the star receiver.
“I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything,” Roseman said. “I don’t think that you can go into any conversation with anyone and just shoot things down without hearing what they have to say, because you never know. You never know on any player.
“If someone’s going to give you something that you didn’t anticipate and you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team that you’re with. You never know what someone’s willing to do. Certainly, we’ve been in situations where there are guys that we didn’t anticipate trading, that we got an offer that was too good, and then you balance it with what you can get there.”
Howie Roseman dealt a disgruntled Carson Wentz (left) in 2021, offering some precedent for a Brown move.
Ultimately, Roseman wields the power to add or subtract personnel from the roster as he sees fit. How do player desires factor into the equation? The 50-year-old general manager previously jettisoned a highly-paid player with frustrations surrounding his role with the team when he traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021.
Every situation is unique. Earlier in the season, Brown voiced his displeasure with the offense and his role within it on multiple occasions, both in conversations with the media and through various online forums, from his own social media accounts to a Twitch livestream.
Brown’s frustrations were seemingly validated to some extent, as the offense never reversed course from its season-long skid on the heels of a Super Bowl win the year before. But while speaking publicly for the first time in two months on Micah Parsons’ podcast during Super Bowl week, Brown appeared optimistic when asked about the new-look offensive coaching staff headlined by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, saying, “I’m excited for the season. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
He noted that “sometimes change is not a bad thing.” Brown also reflected on his trade to the Eagles in 2022, saying that “Philly welcomed me with open arms” and calling the city his home.
Sirianni and Roseman were asked about Brown’s desire to remain with the Eagles. While Sirianni said his “expectation” is that Brown wants to be in Philadelphia, Roseman adhered to his standard protocol of declining to reveal the details of his conversations with any player.
Roseman also spoke generally when asked how a player’s personal wishes impact his decision to execute a trade.
“I think that any trade that we’ve made, we’ve done because we felt it was the right thing to do for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Roseman said. “I can’t remember any time that I’ve done anything that when I did it, I didn’t think was in the best interest of the team. It’s always going to be about the team. It’s always going to be about our players. If I start doing things that are about individuals as opposed to the team, I’m not doing my job.”
Jordan Davis (left) and Jalen Carter could both be candidates for extensions this offseason.
Extensions incoming?
Brown’s future is just one piece of the Eagles’ roster-building puzzle this offseason. Roseman also must decide which key players will be part of the Eagles’ long-term plan, especially as young defensive standouts such as Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Moro Ojomo become eligible for extensions.
Davis, 26, and Ojomo, 24, are headed into the final years of their rookie contracts. Carter, 24, and Smith, 25, could have their fifth-year options exercised this offseason. Roseman could attempt to sign any of those players to team-friendly extensions early and prevent them from eventually testing the open market.
Additionally, Jalen Hurts could be a candidate for an extension. The 27-year-old quarterback is set to account for a team-high 10.1% of the Eagles’ salary cap in 2026, according to Over The Cap. An extension could lower that figure, giving Roseman more space to sign and extend others in the immediate future.
While Roseman declined to go into specifics about the contracts for all five players, he emphasized his longstanding philosophy of retaining homegrown players.
“Everything that we’re trying to do here is build sustained success,” Roseman said. “And how do you do that? … You’ve got to draft well, and then hopefully you’re re-signing and extending your own players, and you’re sprinkling on top additions. That’s going to be the priority for us.
“We have a lot of good players here that are going to come up this year, next year, and we’re going to try to keep as many as we can and continue to try to improve the team and understanding that there’s probably not a scenario where every single one of them can stay here.”
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips is a pending free agent who won praise from Howie Roseman after being obtained as a rental at the trade deadline last year.
Free-agent Phillips?
Jaelan Phillips isn’t one of those homegrown players. Roseman acquired him at the trade deadline from the Miami Dolphins at a premium for a player on an expiring contract, giving up a 2026 third-round pick.
Still, he is one of the major dominoes that could dictate the trajectory of the Eagles’ offseason moves. At 26 years old, Phillips is arguably the best edge rusher in the free-agent class and he is likely set for a hefty pay raise in the coming weeks.
Roseman has plenty of criteria to consider before deciding whether he would attempt to woo Phillips back to Philadelphia. With any player, Roseman said he factors in character, medical history, level of play, age, and scheme fit when considering a potential extension.
The trade of a third-round pick isn’t one of those factors. Roseman said he gave up what he thought was necessary to acquire a player to help the Eagles compete for a championship last season.
Even though the Eagles didn’t reach the pinnacle, their rental of Phillips gave them a positive, hands-on experience with a player they’ve held in high regard, which could influence their desire to try to retain him.
“Obviously, we do a lot of work on these players coming out, and we knew what kind of person Jaelan Phillips was from the time we spent with him in the pre-draft process, and it was confirmed throughout our time with him in Philadelphia,” Roseman said. “Unbelievable worker, unbelievable leader, incredibly talented player who cares desperately about winning.”
Howie Roseman acknowledged that his affinity for receiving tight ends, including Grant Calcaterra (left) and Dallas Goedert, might have limited the Eagles as a blocking team last season.
Transforming the tight end corps
Like Phillips, Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson are set to become free agents at the start of the new league year. With the offense charting a new course under Mannion, Roseman also could take a new direction with the team’s tight ends.
Last year’s group was deficient in blocking prowess. The 31-year-old Goedert has typically been a more well-rounded weapon, but he took a step back in the blocking game this past season. He was more effective as a red-zone threat, scoring 10 of his career-high 11 touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Calcaterra and Granson were most impactful when contributing as receivers, too.
Any of those players could theoretically return on new deals, but Roseman still expressed a need to expand the skill sets within the corps.
“I would say that the tight end position starts with me in evolving,” Roseman said. “I think that, from my perspective, I’ve always had an affinity for kind of the receiving tight ends. I think that’s shown in my work.
“You’ve got to be cognizant of the fact that at some levels, the game has changed. And so there’s certainly room for both of those spots. I think when you look at our room this year, probably needed more of a diverse skill set at that position.”
Could Tanner McKee be an attractive trade option for teams given the uninspiring draft and free-agent classes at QB?
McKee’s market
It’s a bad year to be a quarterback-needy team. This year’s draft class is relatively thin after Fernando Mendoza, the likely first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. The top quarterback set to become a free agent is Malik Willis, the Green Bay Packers backup who has started six games over the course of his four-year career.
The trade market might be the most viable solution for teams to address their quarterback needs. Could Tanner McKee draw interest? The 25-year-old backup quarterback has one year left on his rookie deal.
McKee has had strong preseason outings and acquitted himself well in both Week 18 starts over the last two years. If teams believe he has QB1 potential, his market could materialize at the start of the new league year.
“I can’t speak to what everyone else thinks of our players,” Roseman said. “I know what we think of our players. That’s always been a position that we’ve put a great deal of priority on, to have a backup quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”
Roseman reiterated the stance he took when asked about listening to offers for Brown.
“My job is to listen to anything about anyone,” Roseman said. “Whether I pull the trigger is a totally different story.”
In the wake of the untimely deaths of three young players, A.J. Brown on Monday posted a 9-minute, 8-second testimonial on Instagram encouraging NFL athletes struggling with mental health issues to seek counseling and God rather than taking their own lives. It was poignant and it was beautiful.
It was a revealing glimpse into how Brown deals with his own demons. It also was an example of how the exceptional culture in the Eagles’ locker room emboldens this sort of leadership in the most important of ways.
“Don’t take the easy way out,” Brown said. “I once thought that was the way. I was 23 years old and I thought the same thing.”
Brown spoke two days after Vikings receiver Rondale Moore, 25, was found in his garage dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. Moore had seen his last two NFL seasons ruined by preseason injuries. It was the third such incident in just 10 months.
In November, Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, 24, also was suspected of taking his own life with a gun after a high-speed chase and crash.
Similarly, in April, LSU receiver and NFL prospect Kyren Lacy, also 24, shot and killed himself after a high-speed chase two days before his criminal trial in an unrelated incident.
Tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy compelled Brown to speak out.
“Don’t end it like that, bro,” he begged. “Don’t end it like that.”
Advocacy
This wasn’t the first time Brown has spoken about his own struggles, but it is the most intense and impassioned message he has delivered.
🙏 Eagles WR AJ Brown, who said he contemplated suicide in 2020, shared his advice to those who might be struggling with their mental health
He recorded Monday’s message on his phone while sitting in his parked car. Most of it centered on Brown’s reliance on his Christian faith, but Brown also stressed the role that counseling performs in people whose worlds seem to be closing in.
“Go talk to [God], first and foremost, before you even go talk to a therapist. But go talk to a therapist,” Brown said. “Reach out to your loved ones. Go talk to somebody, bro. Get it off your chest. You’re not too tough to talk to someone.”
Much has been made of Brown’s unconventional behavior in his four seasons with the Eagles. He often has been publicly critical of the Eagles offense both in media availabilities and on social media. He has sparred with head coach Nick Sirianni during games. He continually hints in public that he would like to be traded, and a report last month said he submitted a trade request three times during the 2025 season. Brown also has boycotted the media twice in the last two seasons.
Suicide is suspected in the death of Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore on Saturday.
Among the reasons the Eagles are patient with Brown, and among the reasons the media squawks so little about his boycotts, are Brown’s mental health struggles. He is afforded a larger measure of grace from teammates, coaches, administrators, and the press than athletes who struggle less.
This grace begins with Sirianni, whose inclusive, empathetic management style built on the foundation laid by Doug Pederson. One of the reasons Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie hired Pederson in 2016 was Pederson’s “emotional intelligence,” which created an environment of understanding and acceptance unmatched by any locker room in the NFL. This environment, Lurie says, helped the Eagles reach three Super Bowls and win two.
In 2017, Pederson’s second season, Eagles guard Brandon Brooks opened up about treating his debilitating anxieties with therapy and medication, taboo subjects in the world’s most testosterone-charged league. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl after that season.
In 2021, Sirianni’s first season, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, who’d helped Brooks deal with his issues, missed three games dealing with his own mental health issues. The Eagles went to the Super Bowl after the 2022 season and won it after the 2024 season.
Johnson was, by far, the team’s best player in that span.
Brown was not far behind. That’s because, in part, the Eagles accepted him for him.
For instance, When Brown was caught on camera reading a self-help book on the sideline during a playoff game after the 2024 season, Sirianni told a local radio station, “Some guys pray in between, some guys meditate in between. A.J. reads in between.”
AJ Brown started reading a book on the sideline in the middle of a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/jz6YuLBYZ1
Sirianni also said, “A.J. Brown, is a great, great, great person.”
That’s generally the consensus in the Eagles’ organization: Brown might be a diva, and he occasionally might be insubordinate, but his heart is always in the right place.
That was never more evident than in Monday’s post.
His own experience
The mission statement of the A.J. Brown Foundation reads, in part, “Our vision is to cultivate a generation of resilient and confident young individuals.”
“I take pride in my mental health,” Brown said Monday. “Something I practice each and every day.”
Brown then offered what might be a glimpse into his own struggle and the methods he uses to cope.
“Stay in that fight,” Brown said. “Be strong. Do whatever you need to do. Get on your phone. Record videos of yourself talking to yourself. Say affirmations around the crib. Sticky notes. … Talk in third-person to yourself.”
Don’t worry about it if people think you’re strange:
“Let them call you crazy.”
With so many voices eager for attention, and with so much non-credible disparagement targeted at you, just accept your failures and ignore the critics as best you can:
“I want you to understand, in the NFL community, things aren’t always going to go your way. You may not get everything that you desire. Sometimes this game is not friendly. People are going to say nasty things about you. Call you this call you that. …
“But none of those things, in that moment, define you. You just have to understand that this is just a short moment in your life that’s just going to go, just like that,” he said, and snapped his fingers to illustrate.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown celebrating a first-down catch against the Commanders on Dec. 20.
Frustration is constant; satisfaction, unattainable:
“I understand what it feels like when you’re trying to take care of your family. None of that stuff is fulfilling. The only thing that’s fulfilling in this world is our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”
Even now, Brown clearly struggles with issues. He said he focuses on his family, especially his two young children, when the darkness begins to descend, and looks within.
“Nobody cares about you, bro. Especially as a man. You have to do what makes you happy,” Brown said. “I don’t care what they call you. I don’t care whatever … whatever you think you failed at. … Whenever you have a negative thought, say 10 positive things about yourself.”
Just hold on, get help, and have faith in something.
God. Yourself. Anything.
“That sun is gonna shine,” Brown said. “It ain’t gonna stay rainy forever, bro.”
You have to start there. It is the independent variable. You have to define it in order to solve the rest of the equation. You can’t have an opinion on how the Eagles should proceed with their All-Pro wide receiver if you don’t first have an opinion on what they should do without him.
Feel free to take as much time as you need. Just make sure that you don’t dwell too long on the internal options. Right now, there aren’t any.
Aside from DeVonta Smith, the Eagles have exactly two pass-catchers under contract who had a target for them last season. Darius Cooper and Britain Covey combined for 11 catches on 112 yards. Other than that, your options are limited to 2024 sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson, who missed last season with a knee injury. The tight end room doesn’t even have anyone to turn on the lights.
So … what’s the plan?
The draft is not a serious option. Not where the Eagles are picking, at least. Last year’s draft yielded 11 wide receivers and tight ends who played at least 50% of their team’s snaps. Four of those players were selected before pick No. 23. Five others played for the Titans, Browns or Jets. Maybe they’ll be in a position to draft this year’s Emeka Egbuka (No. 19 to the Bucs in 2024). But they could just as easily end up with this year’s Matthew Golden (No. 23 to the Packers). The best way to get yourself in trouble on draft day is to try to solve this year’s problems.
It isn’t outlandish to think Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard might be capable of what Deebo Samuel did as a rookie when the 49ers drafted him in 2019.
That’s not to say they shouldn’t be looking. Nor that they won’t find some help. Alabama’s Germie Bernard would make a worthy target, even at No. 23. Whatever he measures at the combine, the game speed is there, as is the hybrid 6-foot-1, 204-pound frame. It isn’t outlandish to think he could do what Deebo Samuel did as a rookie after the 49ers drafted him at No. 36 overall in 2019: 57 catches, 802 yards, 14 carries, 159 yards. But to feel comfortable trading Brown, you need a lot more certainty than “isn’t outlandish.”
Free agents? Sure, let’s talk. Alec Pierce would be a no-brainer. At 25 years old, the Colts wideout caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard at quarterback. He isn’t anywhere close to Brown as a singular talent. Still, if you combine him with a draft pick like Bernard, he could be part of a radical and positive identity shift in both the short- and long-term.
Only one problem: The Eagles are one of 32 teams that can bid on free agents. A team like the Patriots can offer more cap room and a better quarterback and an acute need at the position. I’m skeptical the Eagles would win out.
The free agent crop is interesting even beyond Pierce and presumptive Cowboys franchisee George Pickens. Jauan Jennings and Mike Evans could replace some of Brown’s physicality in traffic and in 50/50 situations. Again, though, you have to wonder. Will players who have multiple options err on the side of a team with a run-heavy approach and Jalen Hurts at quarterback?
The conundrum is the same as it was three months ago, when the annual pre-trade-deadline nonsense reached its crescendo. The dream that the Eagles might part ways with their WR1 died in a head-first collision with reality. However disgruntled Brown was, however diminished his skills were, nobody else on the roster would have done enough in his stead to survive such a move. To suggest otherwise was to betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how this Eagles passing offense works. It would not have functioned without him.
Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had his first 1,000-yard season with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers, and Riley Leonard throwing to him.
True, the Eagles barely functioned with Brown. But that only matters if you think they should have given up on the season at the trade deadline. That’s what they would have been doing by trading Brown. Look at their track record without him. Brown missed four (meaningful) games in his first three seasons with the Eagles. The Eagles lost three of them, and they scored 15 points in the game that they won. In 2025, the Eagles scored 38 points against the Giants without Brown. They also threw the ball 20 times. Smith was the only wide receiver to catch more than one of them.
Plenty of NFL teams have managed to win without two WR1 types. But we’ve never seen Hurts have to do it. Right now, the Eagles don’t even have a WR2 who is better than replacement level. Keep in mind, the Eagles already have a hugely pressing need at tight end. They could need to spend big bucks to retain Jaelan Phillips, or to sign a replacement. In the draft, they will be hard-pressed to turn down an opportunity to add another offensive lineman to their feeder system.
The preponderance of the circumstances says the Eagles probably shouldn’t trade Brown. Life would be a lot easier if they didn’t need to. The onus is on the case for how they can do so and survive. If you can make one, I’m sure they’d love to hear it.
