A.J. Brown Saga Rains Down On NFL Scouting Combine

This A.J. Brown will-he-stay-or-will-he-go drama will likely continue through the draft. Probably beyond that, if he doesn’t get sent packing somewhere over the three-day selection process from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

The receiver’s agent, Jim Sexton, is meeting with teams at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine to see what sort of trade interest he can drum up, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Sexton better have a big, loud drum, because general manager Howie Roseman has been consistent in his approach about the possibility of trading the talented receiver.

REPEAT MESSAGE. Roseman has repeated that message every chance he gets, such as he did at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis when he went on a CBS Sports set and talked again about it.

“We’re in the business of keeping great players and A.J. is a great player,” said the GM. “A.J. is a difference-making player for our team. He’s been on our team four years, we’ve been the playoffs all four of those years, won a Super Bowl, been in two Super Bowls, he’s a captain on our team.

“You’re not looking to get rid of players like that. The disappointment in the season was not progressing past the first round of the playoffs, so we’re looking to build on that and go forward, and that’s adding on.”

Howie Roseman Is All Ears

Then, as he has also done in the past, he said that he would be foolish not to listen to anyone willing to make a knock-your-socks-off offer.

“Our jobs as GMs is we gotta listen,” he said. “On anyone. That doesn’t have anything to do with A.J. If anyone calls me and says, ‘Hey, I wanna talk to you about player,’ for me just to say, unequivocally, ‘I’m not taking your call,’ that doesn’t make sense, because I don’t know what they’re gonna say on the other end. Now the chances that I’m doing that with a great player, they’re not very high.”

TALK OF COMBINE. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel sounds like he might be willing to pony up something good for Brown, talking about the relationship that he and Brown have from their time together with the Tennessee Titans.

“I’ve watched him grow, I’ve watched him mature,” said Vrabel, earlier in the week. “I’m proud of him. Proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important.”

On Wednesday, NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah was asked about potential receiver fits if, you know, Brown gets dealt. His answer was Indiana’s Omar Cooper or Clemson’s Antonio Williams, but they would probably have to come in the first round.

Also, NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks released his second mock draft, and he had the Eagles taking Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion.

HAPPINESS FACTOR. Brown has talked a bit this offseason about how he likes being in Philly. Does he mean it? If he did, why is his agent combing the Combine, per Russini, to see what trade ideas might surface?

It goes back to former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who once said: “We need volunteers, not hostages.” In other words, he wants players who are fully vested in the team, and not somebody who isn’t happy on the team.

Brown was clearly unhappy last year. A hostage. Has anything changed that might make him happy, such as the hiring of Sean Mannion to be the offensive coordinator? Maybe, Mannion reportedly said in his interview that he would love for Brown to be on the team and highlighted ways to use him.

More NFL: Five Eagles Takeaways From The Scouting Combine After Day 2