Two Questions That Need Asked When Debating The A.J. Brown Dilemma

The Denver Broncos gave up draft picks in the first and third rounds to the Miami Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle, who hasn’t had a 1,000-plus yard receiving season since 2023, which was the same year D.J. Moore had one of those, but commanded a second-round pick from the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason.

A.J. Brown’s production has been better than both players. He's had four straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards receiving, with six of his seven NFL seasons topping that barrier. That leaves two questions:

First, why would the Eagles want to trade that?

Second, should they move off their asking price? That's easy. No. Based on what the Broncos and Bills had to give up for inferior receivers, what Howie Roseman wants is still attainable.

The answer to the first one seems evident enough. The Eagles' general manager has said on record several times that he is not in the business of trading away great players. Not even two years ago, in April, he made him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL at the time, locking him up through 2029 with a three-year, $96 million extension - $32M per year- that included $84M guaranteed.

And now he wants to trade him, because why? He dropped a few passes last year? He has a knee issue? He’s getting old and his production has declined the past three years?

Why Is A.J. Brown Being Shopped?

Howie Roseman speaks with reporters after cutting the Eagles' roster to 53 on Aug. 26, 2025. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

Hardly. Think it through and it seems logical to deduce that Brown’s camp is driving the trade bus, preferring to get away from a conservative offense that doesn’t want to put the ball at risk for fear of a turnover, an offense that doesn’t cater to him, that has more than him as an aerial weapon, one that runs the ball the way it did in 2024 when the Eagles won a Super Bowl running the ball 58 percent of its offensive plays - 621 runs to 448 passing attempts.

Brown has talked about returning this season to an offense that has brought in several new minds in Sean Mannion, Josh Grizzard, Jerrod Johnson, Ryan Mahaffey, and Chris Kuper, but his words didn’t match his understated, less-than-enthusiastic demeanor. The receiver isn’t publicly burning any bridges, which makes him the anti-TO. By saying the right things - sort of - it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want out.

"Philly welcomed me with open arms. That's home. I love them. I love the support. I love the accountability"

AJ Brown 1 month ago, the only time we've actually heard from the man himself.#Eagles https://t.co/H4UVLM5qsD pic.twitter.com/NpbGLvEIrx
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) March 17, 2026

Maybe the new think-tank makes him happy for a little while, but for all 17 games and any playoff push that ensues? Hmm…

The second question, about the trade return, seems fluid. If the Patriots are the only team in the running for Brown’s services, that doesn’t help Roseman’s hand. Without another tam involved it might be difficult for Roseman to get what he wants, which is at least a first and second pick in a draft to be determined.

The deal, if it is going to happen, probably won’t be consummated until June 1, which would be well after the draft ends on April 25, and plenty of time for another team to take stock of its roster and see what holes it still has. Then, another two teams could get involved. Even New England might look at what happened in the draft and decide they still need a receiver.

The decision as to whether Brown stays or goes is long from over.