There are no indications that the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in parting ways with A.J. Brown, but even one interesting trade offer could make them consider it. Bleacher Report’s Jake Ellenbogen has come up with several potential trade deals for the Eagles to consider for Brown.
One suggested deal involves the Eagles receiving a selection of picks from the New England Patriots. It seems likely that the Pats will use the No. 3 overall pick to secure their future quarterback. To compensate for not offering an additional first-rounder, New England is proposing to send three draft picks to Philadelphia.
The Patriots have a high second round pick at No. 34, which is just a few picks away from being a first-rounder. Brown would go to the Patriots, and the Eagles would receive a second round pick (No. 34), a third-round pick (No. 68) and a fourth-round pick (No. 102), all in the 2024 NFL draft.
During a March 7, 2024 live stream, Ellenbogen highlighted: “They only have one first-round pick… They’re not trading away the third overall [pick]. So, a second, a third and a fourth [round picks for Brown]. It’s a lot, but hey, what better way to usher in a new era of Patriots football than to bring in a franchise quarterback at the third pick [to pair with Brown].”
Eagles Star A.J. Brown Has 3 Seasons Left on a $100 Million Deal
Brown has been highly productive, but this has also come with a high cost. In 2023, Brown achieved a career-high 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and 7 touchdowns, starting all 17 games.
The star wide receiver has had two consecutive seasons surpassing 1,400 receiving yards. Brown has three seasons remaining on a four-year, $100 million contract.
He has a reasonable $12.4 million cap hit for 2024, which notably increases to $26.5 million in 2025 and a substantial $41.5 million in 2026, when Brown will be 29 years old.
Eagles Rumors: How Will This Proposed Trade With the Patriots Impact Philly?
How will this trade unfold in the draft? We utilized Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator to execute this significant trade involving Brown and to reveal the additional picks for Philly.
The Eagles end up with a substantial group of players, many of whom are projected to be starters at the professional level. This is how the mock draft unfolded with the Eagles’ own choices, in addition to the picks acquired from the Patriots: Cooper DeJean, a cornerback from Iowa, is selected at No. 22, followed by wide receiver Ladd McConkey at No. 34, cornerback Mike Sainristil at No. 50, receiver Keon Coleman at No. 53, linebacker Junior Colson at No. 68, and running back Braelon Allen at No. 103, along with safety Malik Mustapha from Wake Forest.
In summary, the Eagles address their defensive weaknesses by adding cornerbacks and a linebacker, drawing heavily from the talented roster of the Michigan Wolverines. This trade proposal sees Philadelphia swapping Brown for a combination of McConkey, Colson, and Allen. While this may not replace Brown’s 1,400 receiving yards, it could lead to a more balanced football team.
Eagles Rumors: Philly Gets WR Ladd McConkey, LB Junior Colson & RB Braelon Allen in NFL Draft Through Trade
It's not possible to replace Brown, but the Eagles get a different type of receiver in McConkey. Philadelphia then picks a new physical receiver in Coleman.
In the mock draft, the Eagles also had a chance to address receiver with their first-round pick by adding a player like Texas speedsters Xavier Worthy or Adonai Mitchell. Ultimately, Philly’s secondary proved to be more of an area of concern, so we chose DeJean over the wideouts as we knew there would still be quality receivers available at No. 34.
Choosing Allen is a bit of a luxury, but too good to pass up at the start of the fourth round. The Eagles want to protect their investment in Saquon Barkley, and Allen is more than capable of sharing the backfield with the team’s new star. The Eagles will probably end up keeping Brown, but this deal could allow Philadelphia to gain future cap space while adding several potential new starters.
