AJ Brown Countdown

[UPDATE: Added the Rams]

It’s going to happen. I didn’t want to believe it for the longest time, but the Eagles will trade AJ Brown and it will happen pretty damn close to June 2^nd. The countdown is on! Howie Roseman may be on the phone with several GMs simultaneously as we speak for all we know. Wait, several GMs? I thought he was going to New England as a done deal? Not so fast. If not the Patriots, then who? How is this going to work?

Eagles Summer Primer

Compensation

First thing’s first, what is this going to cost? For the most part, rumors have been consistent with at least a 1^st round pick for Brown. For anyone skeptical, you are missing one of the big elements of the Brown situation: his contract. While he would cost the Eagles $23m in cap space if he stays, an acquiring team will only have a $6.8m cap hit. Are you kidding me??? That is a bargain basement price for an elite receiver. The Eagles are the ones taking the big salary cap hit here ($16.3m this year and $27.1m next year). Just because fans and sports pundits don’t talk about it, doesn’t mean it’s not a serious bargaining chip. Essentially, a new team would be spending a 1^st round pick on a WR1 for less than the Titans are paying the top WR taken in the 2026 draft, Carnell Tate ($9.3m), and only a little more than the Saints are paying the second receiver taken, Jordyn Tyson ($5.9m). Yeah, he’s worth more than just a late 1^st.

So, what else? Personally, I want a Day 2 pick. The higher the better. Is there something better than that? Maybe. How about a player? Most hypothetical trades have been centered around a WR swap, but that makes little sense for the Eagles with Devonta Smith and Makai Lemon. Would we really take a WR3? That sounds silly. Now an EDGE or Safety? That makes a little more sense. Let’s see what the suitors have to offer?

New England Patriots

The odds obviously still favor New England. It’s been the rumored destination throughout this whole saga, Brown is a lifelong Patriots fan, and he is still tight with former coach Mike Vrabel. The Patriots need him too. Their top WRs are Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and Romeo Doubs. Brown would easilly and without question be WR1 for that group and the best available weapon for their young QB Drake Maye. Something to consider is that Maye will only be on his rookie contract for so long. If they are going to make a move, the time is now.

Of course, there is the whole matter of FUCK the Patriots. Excuse me? Yeah, fuck the Patriots. Do you think Eagles fans are the only ones mad that the Pats have been in contact with Brown the whole season and have been using Dianna Russini to report anti-Eagles/Brown sentiment trying to nuke his trade value? The Eagles pursued a grievance against the Cardinals and Jonathan Gannon for having head coach discussions the week of the Super Bowl. They are not just sitting idly by this situation allowing Robert Kraft to dictate terms. Ignore what you hear, the Eagles have leverage with New England. Who do they have?

I’m not taking one of those WRs listed above over a Day 2 pick. They are fine, but they are filling an immediate need or providing the long-term value of a 2nd or 3rd rounder. There has been talk of a straight Christian Gonzalez for Brown trade. That is not going to happen. Not only does it not improve the Pats overall, but Gonzalez is about to get paid in the deep end of the CB pool. The Eagles have their own CBs to worry about next year. I’ll take the picks.

Makai Lemon Means a LOT

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson gets nearly as much criticism from pundits as Jalen Hurts. The reality is that he is instant competitiveness for any team and the Ravens want to make him happy. Whether they just chose Lamar over John Harbaugh is a distinct possibility. Well, guess what? Jackson is due an extension soon and he is a notoriously random negotiator because he does not have an agent. He has also never had a WR anywhere near the talent of AJ Brown so putting them together could be special. Sending Brown to the AFC is ideal, especially to fez up the Patriots by juicing their competition.

This may sound like a pipe dream, but the Eagles could target last year’s #27 pick safety Malaki Starks. The Ravens have Kyle Hamilton and signed Jaylinn Hawkins from the Pats in the offseason. There’s a possibility that the Eagles would go for Starks for Brown 1 for 1 but Howie would likely try to get a little more. Starks is both good AND cheap.

Buffalo Bills

Like Baltimore, the Bills just ditched their longtime coach, Sean McDermott. It is very easy to infer that QB Josh Allen wanted his OC, Joe Brady, to stay in Buffalo rather than see him leave for the top gig elsewhere. If Allen has that kind of control, fixing his lack of WR talent is probably next on his wish list. DJ Moore is good, but him and Brown together would be scary hours for other teams. Buffalo’s routinely horrendous cap situation makes Brown even more ideal. Combine that with screwing the Patriots and this becomes much more of a possibility than you realize.

Would they trade 3rd year safety Cole Bishop to lower the Brown asking price? Probably not.

LA Rams

Mr. F Them Picks Les Sneed was involved in a possible Brown trade before the draft and according to reports are expected to pick things up again. I didn’t include them at first because they still have Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. I’m still rather dubious for the same reason and I’ll take it a little further. Nacua is up for an extension and checked himself into rehab earlier in the offseason. Being interested in Brown makes sense if they don’t believe in Nacua…but that’s crazy. Wouldn’t it make more sense that they are using the possibility of adding Brown as leverage in extension talks?

If a trade were to go down, the Rams have Kam Kinchens who the Eagles could have plenty of interest in. Would he be enough to get the Eagles off a 1st round pick asking price? I doubt it.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The most recent team on the rumor mill is the Jags after a disappointing sophomore season for WR Brian Thomas. What makes the Jags an intriguing trade partner is that no one knows their young GM James Gladstone stinks yet. They are flying high right now after a great improvement in their first year with coach Liam Cohen, so Gladstone’s already bad track record is below radar. The Travis Hunter trade was an abomination, paying Jourdan Lewis while getting rid of Tyson Campbell was an odd choice, and then there’s the brutal Travon Walker extension. No one would bat an eye at the gunslinger GM overpaying to help out Trevor Lawrence. Howie would crush him.

The rumor is that Thomas and a 2nd would be the offer. No thank you. Since this is a way worse roster than you think, there is no one on the Jags that I would like to have in Philadelphia. Gimmie them picks!!!

AJ Brown Possibilities

In the End

It will still probably be New England as the AJ Brown destination. As long as Howie gets his value, I will have no gripe with that. As for AJ Brown, he brought us to two Super Bowls and he has been awesome to watch. It’s time to go though. This is starting to look like a bad relationship where one partner makes excuses for the other partner’s bad behavior without knowing it. Once the decision to break up is made, all that behavior is finally seen for what it is. It was good while it lasted, but it’s over, and that’s fine. I’ll update this if any other rumors hit the wire.

Contract Info: Spotrac

Photo: AJ Brown Reading Inner Excellence