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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 11: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles pumps up the crowd before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
It feels like A.J. Brown has been on the trade market since the moment he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, heading into the 2026 offseason, rumors have gotten hotter regarding teams that may be interested in the three-time All-Pro.
But rumors don’t always equal momentum when talking about star players in trades, and it seems like that’s what’s happening with the Eagles right now.
According to New England Patriots beat reporters Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, the Pats have expressed interest in Brown, but feel that the Eagles asking price is “unserious.”
It’s clear that the Eagles are shopping Brown, but the posturing they’re attempting to do doesn’t seem to be working; teams are calling their bluff.
Eagles Looking to Move Brown at the Right Price
Callahan and Kyed are reporting that league sources believe that Brown could still be dealt, but momentum with their top partner, New England, is faltering.
New England has been involved in trade talks for Brown ever since it hired Mike Vrabel to be the head coach last winter. Vrabel coached Brown in Tennessee during his first three years in the NFL.
Right now, the Patriots would likely be looking for the Eagles to eat some of Brown’s money, as he is due over $100 million over the next four seasons. But, if Callahan and Kyed’s report is true, it seems like that is an area Philly isn’t interested in exploring at this point.
The Eagles may also be asking for New England’s first round pick this season, which carries less value at No. 31 overall. Patriots’ VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf said that he would be willing to move that pick for the right price, but maybe just Brown isn’t enough.
Something has to give between Philadelphia and New England if a deal is going to get done. Either the Pats need to call the Eagles bluff, or just pay the price to get a marquee receiver. Brown remains a top-10 receiver in the league; he’s only failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards in one of his seven NFL seasons.
Brown’s Contract May be Causing Hiccup in Trade Talks
Brown’s lengthy and expensive deal is tricky to navigate for both sides.
“Trading Brown before June 1 would subtract $20 million from the Eagles’ cap because of all the dead cap hits that would accelerate onto their current books from future years,” Callahan and Kyed wrote. “A post-June 1 trade would free up $7 million in cap space for the Eagles, but waiting until then becomes difficult for a team like the Patriots, which would need a Plan B at receiver in the event a Brown trade falls through and be well past the draft and free agency.”
This may be the reason the Eagles have such a high asking price right now. An early offseason trade would cause a serious financial penalty for Philly, but New England likely won’t be looking for Brown that late in the cycle.
Maybe the two teams just aren’t suitable partners at this point and it has to be an in-season trade next fall.
Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings
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