Eagles, A.J. Brown intrigue increases as NFL draft nears

PHILADELPHIA — The intrigue surrounding the future of A.J. Brown will hit another level as we approach the NFL draft.

Brown has been the subject of trade conversations following a frustrating year in Philly for the Pro Bowl receiver, with momentum towards any potential deal appearing to wax and wane as the offseason has gone by. Now comes a critical point in the NFL calendar when deals are made and draft hauls help shape team’s views about the state of the roster.

The Eagles haven’t been highly incentivized to move Brown to this point, in large part due to the financials. A trade before June 1 would come with a 2026 cap hit of over $40 million, compared to less than $20 million if he’s dealt after that date. It doesn’t make sense for the front office to part with a star player and become cap strapped as a result unless it receives a sizable return.

The Eagles took another step in solidifying what could be a post-Brown receiver room with the acquisition of Dontayvion Wicks, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers last week for the fourth-year wideout before signing him to a one-year, $12.5 million extension. Wicks has familiarity with offensive coordinator Sean Mannion from their time together in Green Bay and with that salary, is all but certain to carve out a role in the offense.

The draft represents a bit of a pressure point, though, given its ability to alter a franchise’s perspective on its personnel. As an example: the New England Patriots are widely considered the favorite to acquire Brown. But what if the board falls a certain way and they feel compelled to take a receiver early? That would mean they’d have invested not only, say, a first round pick in the position this offseason but also a good deal of money after inking Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract in free agency. Would they be as eager to hand over significant resources to land Brown?

There is something to be said for making a deal while you still have a dance partner.

If general manager Howie Roseman feels convicted in the strategy of waiting until June despite those variables, we could be in for another month-plus of Brown speculation. Still, the Eagles would need to move forward with the business of building out their team.

“Roster construction from a macro perspective is going to be based on a vision. That vision doesn’t change by one particular player,” Roseman said, when asked at the league meetings in Arizona how the uncertainty around Brown impacts their approach.

There is a decent chance Philadelphia selects a receiver in the draft. Perhaps to the good fortune of the Eagles, this is a well-regarded receiver class. They hold nine picks in all, including Nos. 23, 54, and 68 overall in the first three rounds.

A number of wideouts are being projected to go in the Eagles’ first-round range, including Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Washington’s Denzel Boston and Omar Cooper Jr. of Indiana. ESPN’s Peter Schrager has the Eagles selecting Boston in his mock draft:

Boston is electric, and Washington coach Jedd Fisch and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman are longtime college buddies. Some NFL sources I have spoken to have Boston as the second or third wideout in this class. And if the Eagles take him, A.J. Brown’s future becomes all the more interesting and will undoubtedly hit the A Block on “Get Up” on Friday morning coming out of the draft.

Philadelphia knows that targeting a specific position — especially at that stage in the first round — narrows the pool and reduces the hit rate, so they try to fill most of the holes on their roster prior to the draft to keep them from reaching. At receiver, they did so by signing veterans Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore to one-year deals.

“I love their speed, their ability to get in and out of breaks and create separation, how they are with the ball on their hands,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Hollywood Brown and Moore.

The front office believes DeVonta Smith is more than capable of thriving with a heightened workload, and the recent additions give the Eagles some solid options to pair with him. But the hole left by Brown would be rather large and it will take further efforts to try and fill it.

Perhaps the stars align and they take a swing towards that end with the 23^rd pick.

One way or another, there will be more clarity around the Brown situation before long.