Eagles-Jaelan Phillips Talks Directly Impact AJ Brown's Future

It certainly sounds like the Philadelphia Eagles are trying to keep young pass rusher Jaelan Phillips in town beyond just his eight-game stint after the 2025 National Football League trade deadline.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that "significant progress" has been made between the two sides and there is "optimism" that a deal will get done.

"A priority free agent for the Philadelphia Eagles," Rapoport said. "Our understanding is that there has been made significant progress made between the Eagles and Jaelan Phillips toward him returning to Philly. There has been no decision, to my knowledge and there's nothing final, but certainly there is some optimism that there's going to be a deal that he will remain a member of Vic Fangio's defense."

The Eagles don't have much time left if the goal is to get a deal done before free agency opens up. That will happen at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, although deals cannot be made official until March 11.

There is hope for the Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Jaelan Phillips — Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) celebrates after a sack against the San Francisco 49ers with linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) during the second quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

On top of the ongoing pursuit of a new deal with Phillips, there's been a lot of chatter about the idea of trading AJ Brown. But, he is still with the franchise. One thing to watch out for is the fact that ESPN's Benjamin Solak wrote on X that if the Eagles are able to get a deal done with Phillips, from a cap perspective, it would be a sign that Brown will not be traded until at least June 1, or maybe not even at all.

"Looking at it from a pure cap perspective: if the Eagles actually get a market-rate deal done for Phillips, it’ll be a sign that they aren’t trading Brown until post June 1st if at all," Solak wrote. "(Worth seeing how small the 2026 cap hit is before we say anything for sure)."

If there wasn't already a reason to keep a close eye on Phillips' market — which of course there was — now that's the case even more now. The rumors around Brown have been loud, specifically tied to the New England Patriots. Various asking prices have been reported, as well as the sticking point in talks. If all of this ends with Brown staying and Phillips on a new deal, that would be a best-case scenario. Brown is a top-five receiver and Phillips is an elite edge rusher. If the Eagles can keep both, that would be phenomenal.