The Philadelphia Eagles will have a decision to make on wide receiver A.J. Brown during the offseason.
Brown is unhappy with how things have gone on offense this season and has made that publicly known. That's something the Eagles can't love, as it draws negative attention and could create problems in the locker room.
That has led many to wonder if the Eagles could trade Brown during the offseason, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is hearing that it's a possibility.
"I have several candidates, but let's start with A.J. Brown. The weekly concerns about Brown's messaging — from sonnets to soundbites — must be taxing on Philadelphia's locker room, even if players understand the receiver's frustration due to the limitations of the Eagles' passing attack," Fowler said. "Several executives I spoke to believe the Eagles could look to move Brown, who's 28 and still has prime years left."
According to Over The Cap, the Eagles would incur a $43.4 million dead cap hit in 2026 if they trade Brown before June 1. The post-June 1 trade number is more palatable at $16.3 million.
Is it worth jettisoning Brown and taking on that dead cap hit to not have him on the team and complaining publicly anymore? I would say no, especially with the Eagles having a huge hole to fill in their offense if they do trade him, but never say never in the NFL.
As far as compensation is concerned, I could see Philly getting a first-round pick for Brown's services, but no worse than a second-rounder. With that pick, combined with the eight projected selections the Eagles have, they will have ample opportunity to add a replacement for Brown to pair with DeVonta Smith, who will turn into Philly's No. 1 if Brown gets traded.
We've seen the Eagles bite the bullet with dead money to unload one of their players before, so we shouldn't rule out the same happening with Brown.
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