AJ Brown trade update: The Philadelphia Eagles are facing a major roster decision involving star wide receiver AJ Brown. As trade speculation intensifies, an insider says that a move could be made on Friday. If a trade is made, the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots are expected to make a bid for the 28-year-old.
AJ Brown contract negotiation
According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, Philadelphia may be forced to make a decision quickly. Speaking Friday on a Philadelphia sports podcast with Anthony Gargano, the insider suggested the situation involving Brown is directly tied to the contract status of veteran tight end Dallas Goedert.
“They’re going to have to, one way or another,” Garafolo said on the podcast. “Now, the Goedert window being moved back was not just for Goedert, that was for AJ as well, because those two are interconnected. If you lose Goedert, you take a huge cap hit. If you trade AJ, you take a huge cap hit. So there’s not going to be an AJ trade and a Goedert release. It’s going to be one or the other.”
Goedert, who has spent his entire career with Philadelphia since being drafted in the second round out of South Dakota State in 2018, is currently in contract negotiations with the team. His existing deal was scheduled to void earlier in the week, but the Eagles agreed to push the void date back by two days to allow additional time to work out a potential extension.
If the Eagles ultimately release the 31-year-old tight end, the move would result in a $20.5 million dead cap hit. Trading Brown would be even more expensive financially, carrying a projected $23.4 million cap charge.
Patriots, Rams to make a move
Amid that uncertainty, the New England Patriots have emerged as a leading potential destination for Brown. Some reports suggest the receiver could end up on New England’s roster as soon as Friday if negotiations accelerate.
Brown himself has reportedly hinted that the Patriots would be a preferred landing spot, further fueling speculation about a possible deal.
However, the Patriots may not be the only team in the mix. The Los Angeles Rams have recently surfaced as another potential trade partner, according to a report from The Athletic.
Still, not everyone is convinced that the Rams are seriously involved in negotiations. Nick Cattles, host of Locked On Patriots, suggested the Eagles could be using Los Angeles as leverage to drive up the trade price.
“My theory: Philly knows they have to trade Brown and are trying to get the Pats to give up more in one last ditch effort,” Cattles wrote on Friday.
Garafolo confirmed that discussions between Philadelphia and multiple teams have already taken place, and he expects those conversations to continue as the day progresses.
“There has been communication between the Eagles and other teams regarding AJ Brown – I know that 100 percent over the last couple of days, and I expect that to continue today,” the insider said in the Friday interview. “We’ll see if (Eagles executive vice president) Howie (Roseman) can get something done by the end of the day there.”
