Eagles News: A.J. Brown trade grades
· Yahoo Sports
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
A.J. Brown trade grades for Patriots, Eagles after star WR sent to New England – SB Nation
The fact that everyone expected this deal to go down, means that Howie Roseman had some work to do. Given the situation in Philadelphia — it was an open secret that there was frustration on Brown’s part with his usage in the Eagles’ offense — and the financial implications associated with a post-June 1 trade, the entire NFL world was waiting for this day, and this trade to arrive. Throughout the process, there was a question over whether Roseman would get the first-round pick back in return for Brown. He was able to get that pick, but a 2028 first, and not a 2027 first. So, while this was perhaps the best Roseman could have hoped for, it was not the deal Eagles fans were hoping to see. Still, given the situation, and the fact that the Eagles were in this position, getting what they did for an unhappy player seems like a solid return. Grade: B.
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2026 NFL offseason trade grades: A.J. Brown, Myles Garrett – ESPN
Patriots grade: B- … Eagles grade: A- … For the Eagles, this is a solid result considering the team and player had pretty clearly reached the end of their time together. They are worse at receiver without Brown than they were with him. But the team had been preparing for this trade: It drafted Makai Lemon in the first round of this year’s draft and traded for Dontayvion Wicks. With DeVonta Smith ascending into the clear WR1 role, the Eagles are still OK here. Using the offseason to get younger at wide receiver and then flip a veteran for a first-round pick is good team-building practice. And that future first-round pick is significant compensation for Brown given his age and down-year in 2025. Even though the Patriots were in the Super Bowl last season, it’s not guaranteed that their 2028 pick will be late in the round. The fact that it is a 2028 first-rounder, as opposed to 2027, does not move the needle much for me either. While the 2027 picks might be slightly more valuable given the expectation of the quarterback class, picks that are two years away are not inherently less valuable than those that are one year away. Ultimately, the compensation is a shade on the pricey side for my taste. But it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than the Myles Garrett trade. And considering how big the Patriots need at wide receiver was, I can understand why they made the move. If they get Brown at his current price, it’s tolerable. In exchange, they could see a big impact on their passing offense.
Instant grades for A.J. Brown trade between Patriots and Eagles – Pats Pulpit
Matt St. Jean: At the peak of his game, A.J. Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL with a skill set that pairs beautifully with Drake Maye’s game. He’s also available for a reason, with reported chronic knee issues and issues in the locker room of a championship team. By exchanging a first-round pick, Mike Vrabel is betting big that Brown will return to form and continue to elevate New England’s offense. If he swings and misses on this move, though, the Patriots will be giving up what could be a top-20 pick they would likely want to use to draft Brown’s replacement. This is a move made with the idea of being the finisher piece on a Super Bowl roster. Is that where New England’s roster is right now? Is that the kind of impact Brown can still provide? Clearly, the Patriots think the answer is yes. | Grade: C- […] Pat Lane: The Patriots are a better team today than they were yesterday, as Brown definitely helps them. However, a first round pick was too rich for my blood. Then again, they did have to outbid… oh yeah, that’s right, they didn’t have to outbid anyone. Let’s hope that Brown can be what he has been as dominant as he has been before, because they are certainly paying for it. | Grade: C.
Howie Roseman explains why the Eagles traded A.J. Brown – NBCSP
Roseman on Monday afternoon was asked about Brown’s desire to start fresh elsewhere. “I think that’s conversations that we had with A.J.,” Roseman said. “I think that he just felt for his family, that this stage of his career, it was something that he was desiring, that he was looking forward to. And all our conversations, very positive about his experiences in Philly. Just felt like going forward here that, that was something that he preferred. “Really, when we look at the last year and a lot of talk about him during the trade deadline, he was all-in and trying to win another championship last year. We sat down after the season, had conversations, continued to have those conversations throughout the offseason. “And, again, for us, we wouldn’t have done this trade if there wasn’t a first-round pick-plus included. Obviously, you go into these (trades), you have a feel for the player and what he’s done for your team. And it’s hard to pull the trigger on these. But after those conversations and where we are and players that we have coming up and that we want to extend, being able to get this first-round pick and getting some of the cap and cash relief, we felt like maybe this could be a win-win spot for both sides.”
Six takeaways from Howie Roseman’s post-A.J. Brown trade press conference – PhillyVoice
JimmySays: There were a whole lot of Eagles fans who were unconvinced that Brown did not want to be here anymore unless he explicitly said so himself. Well, the GM confirming that Brown expressed that sentiment is the next best thing.
Spadaro: Why did the Eagles agree to trade A.J. Brown? Howie Roseman explains – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
“Obviously, here, we’re very early on, building our team for 2026,” Roseman said. “We have a lot of confidence in DeVonta Smith, always have. I think he’s just a really, really, really good player, excited for him to continue to improve and shine as a player. I have a lot of confidence in that, obviously. We took a receiver in the first round. I have a lot of confidence in that player. We traded for Wicks. I feel like the guy’s a really talented player who knows the offense, was with our coaches. We signed Hollywood, who’s shown improvement over time, that he has a trait (speed), an elite trait. “And then we got a bunch of other receivers here who early in camp are looking good and we’ll have competition throughout that position like every other position. But, there’s no doubt that A.J. Brown was a huge, huge part of our football team, a great player for us, and that loss will have to be picked up by more than just one player.” There’s the “why.” The Eagles, as they have done in the past, have planned for this and are well equipped to move on as they continue Phase 3 of the offseason program before the break prior to the start of the 2026 Training Camp.
The Eagles’ saga with A.J. Brown is finally over. His trade to the Patriots gives way to questions for both parties. – Inquirer
There were a host of other reasons for the decline, from having a first-time offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo to the struggles of an injury-plagued O-line. But Brown allowed the overall dysfunction to affect his performance. He dropped more passes than ever. Occasionally gave poor effort on routes and blocking. He also looked a smidge slower, which could have factored into his mentality. “He heard what others on the outside were saying about him losing a step and I think he got too preoccupied with that,” a player source said. “We didn’t think that in here. But he saw Jalen and the pass offense as keeping him from proving that wasn’t the case.” Brown laid his objectives out before the season when he was asked what there was left for him to prove. He’d won a championship. He had individual accolades. But he said he was now focused on his legacy. He may need a few more 1,000-yard seasons to be a bona fide Hall of Fame candidate. The Patriots may get two more high-quality years out of Brown, even if there are questions about his chronic knees. The Rams backed out of deal with the Eagles after they got a look of his medicals, two league sources said.
A.J. Brown trade winners and losers: Who gets a bump from blockbuster deal? Who takes a hit? – NFL.com
WINNERS: Howie Roseman, GM, Philadelphia Eagles: After months of side-stepping questions regarding Brown’s status on the Eagles, Roseman can put another feather in his cap after earning a future first-round pick for a player who seemed to be pretty much on the outs in Philly. Roseman gave up first- and third-round picks in 2022 to acquire Brown before handing him a three-year, $96 million extension that ran through 2029. Brown then returned the two best receiving seasons in Eagles history (2022-23) and helped facilitate two Super Bowl runs, the last of which ended with a Lombardi Trophy (2024). Waiting until after June 1 to make this trade also allowed Philadelphia to split the dead-money hit ($43.45 million) from parting with Brown over the next two seasons — the cherry on top of what has been savvy roster management by Roseman. Sure, there were unwelcome distractions involving Brown along the way, but from a GM’s perspective, anyone would take these results.
Winners and Losers From the Biggest Day of the NFL Offseason – SI
LOSERS: Jalen Hurts A.J. Brown was an incredible security blanket for Hurts during their time together. On average, about 25% of Brown’s targets from Hurts over the past two years were considered “tight-window” throws. In 2024, Brown had a plus-10.8% catch rate over expectation. Similarly, Brown’s strengths were downplayed by those looking at more boilerplate “advanced” statistics because a fair number of Brown’s targets turned out to be deep-ball throwaways that were simply assigned to Brown. When Brown was targeted, he still behaved mostly like a dominant, game-altering wide receiver who can command a serious advantage in man coverage. All that said, Hurts is now alone on his island in terms of blame. The offensive coordinator is gone. The receiver who helped build Hurts into this monolith is gone. What’s left is truly emblematic of how valuable Hurts can be to the Eagles moving forward.
Bowen: Wake me when it’s 2028; Right now, Eagles are in a much worse position, without A.J. Brown – PHLY
Here is one way to look at this trade: The Eagles no longer have one of their best players, and they are getting nothing that will help them win the Super Bowl this coming season. (Unless Howie trades the 2028 first-rounder for a player.) A.J. will help the Patriots, and the Eagles will save all of $1,550,000 in cap money (according to Spotrac). In 2027, A.J. presumably will help the Patriots, and the Eagles will get a fifth-round draft choice, while saving $1,034,198 in cap dollars. In 2028, if we all live that long, A.J. might or might not help the Patriots, if they retain his rights, and the Eagles will get a first-round draft choice, who might or might not turn into a good player someday. Whee. Let’s shoot off fireworks. Howie season, etc. This sucks. I don’t blame Howie. I blame A.J., who seems very hard to please. Good luck there, Drake Maye. I blame Jalen Hurts, for whatever he did to make one of his closest friendships go up in flames. I blame Nick Sirianni, Mr. Emotional Intelligence, for letting this mess help screw up his team’s 2025 season, and dim its 2026 outlook. The Eagles have an exciting new offensive scheme – at least, the prospect of it seems exciting to everyone here except A.J. – and if the offensive line is healthy, they should be very good. Had they not had to spend their 2026 first-rounder on a wide receiver, had they traded up and gotten a top-prospect offensive tackle, the O-line picture would be brighter. Will the Eagles be better than the Rams this season? If both teams are healthy, almost certainly not. That is where we are today. In 2028, we’ll see.
The Eagles prepared for an A.J. Brown trade. They’ll still miss the superstar WR – The Athletic
The best-case scenario for the Eagles is that this materializes as it did with the Seattle Seahawks, when Brown’s college teammate DK Metcalf was traded last offseason. The Metcalf deal opened a bigger role for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who became the Offensive Player of the Year and the NFL’s leading receiver. Smith can thrive in a high-volume role. The worst-case scenario? Look at the passing offense in 2021 that necessitated a move to acquire Brown. It was why Roseman was so aggressive that offseason trying to add a top receiver — from Calvin Ridley to Allen Robinson to eventually Brown. The Titans, by the way, were never the same after moving Brown. They haven’t had a winning record or an offense that finished in the top half of the league. They’ve twice fired GMs and head coaches. The situation in Philadelphia is different. The roster is better. Brown is older. And it’s a fine outcome for Roseman to trade a first-rounder for Brown in 2022, benefit from four seasons in the prime of his career and then add a future first-round pick when trading him away. Given that this deal seemed inevitable, it’s a reasonable return. It doesn’t mean the Eagles will be better for it — especially when they must maximize the 2026 season. They traded a potential Hall of Famer. It needed to happen, but Philadelphia will miss him.
Cowboys had interest in trade for Myles Garrett, should move to this new target – Blogging The Boys
According to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Dallas Cowboys as well as the Philadelphia Eagles showed some interest in trading for Cleveland Browns superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett. In the end Garrett does join the NFC, but with the Los Angeles Rams via a blockbuster deal. This is no doubt huge for the L.A. Rams, making them serious Super Bowl contenders, but not so much for the Cowboys or Eagles. Both organizations have attempted to trade for elite pass rushers at some point this offseason only to miss out.
NFC East News: Philadelphia Eagles trade WR A.J. Brown to the Patriots – Hogs Haven
This deal has been expected for months, but is now finally happening. The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade WR A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots for a 2027 5th round pick and a 2028 1st round pick. There has been tension between Brown and the Eagles organization for the past few seasons, but Philly won a Super Bowl during that time, which is the the ultimate deodorant for a stinky situation. Brown hasn’t been happy with the play calling or the offense in general, and there’s been reported tension between him and his friend, quarterback Jalen Hurts.
NY Giants news: Odell Beckham Jr. is back! New York re-signs former star WR – Big Blue View
The New York Giants have signed veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., per the team’s web site. Rumors have swirled around Beckham and the Giants for most of the last year. He was linked to the Giants after Malik Nabers tore his ACL back in Week 4 of 2025. He was again brought up as a potential signing as the Giants looked to veteran free agents to bolster their roster prior to the 2026 NFL Draft. Beckham was one of the most feared, and exciting, players in the NFL when he was a Giant from 2014-2018. Over the first five years of his career, he etched his name into franchise history as one of the most productive receivers the team has ever had. Beckham still ranks fourth in franchise history in receptions (390), second in yards (5,476), and fourth in touchdowns (44).
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