Should the Philadelphia Eagles trade A.J. Brown this offseason?
If the Philadelphia Eagles trade WR A.J. Brown this offseason, their dead cap charges would drop to $43 million, according to NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN.
Brown is owed a fully guaranteed $29 million in 2026.
"Unless you've been living under a rock, you know this has been a turbulent season for Brown in Philadelphia," Graziano wrote. "We don't have to rehash all of that here. But despite that, it is not a certainty that Brown or the Eagles want to dissolve this relationship any time soon. It remains well within the range of potential outcomes that the Eagles repeat as Super Bowl champions and everyone decides to stay married.
"However, it's also well within the range of potential outcomes that Brown wants out and/or the Eagles decide to move on. Should that happen, it would almost certainly have to be via a trade, since Brown is owed a fully guaranteed $29 million in 2026. As such, releasing him would trigger nearly $72.5 million in dead cap charges. Trading him, meanwhile, would drop that number to around $43.5 million, which is still high but more manageable."
Brown has not been happy with the Eagles' offense this season. He has only 56 catches for 699 yards and six touchdowns. The Pro Bowler and QB Jalen Hurts used to be best friends, but now multiple insiders are reporting that Brown and Hurts are no longer close.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. OC Kellen Moore left to become the head coach of the New Orleans Saints and Kevin Patullo was named the new OC.
Patullo's offense is averaging 22.5 points per game. Philadelphia, which has the highest-salaried offense in the NFL, ranks 24th in yards (304.8 per game), 23rd in passing (196.3 ypg), 22nd in rushing (108.5 ypg) and 19th in scoring (22.5 ppg).
Many people around the NFL believe Brown and the Eagles will part ways this offseason unless the team wins the Super Bowl again this season.
With that said, it will be fascinating to see where Brown is playing in 2026.