The A.J. Brown trade saga just took another turn, and the Philadelphia Eagles might have more leverage than anyone thinks. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the New England Patriots are refusing to offer a future first-round pick in trade negotiations with Philadelphia involving Brown, a development that could drag this situation deep into the summer. But if New England wants to play hardball, Howie Roseman has options, and one of them involves a name that should terrify the rest of the NFC East.

New England is making a mistake

Now, the Patriots refusing to offer a future first-round pick is a bold strategy for a team whose best wide receiver is Romeo Doubs. New England does not have a star pass-catcher on the roster. This is a franchise that just went to the Super Bowl, and their fans now have expectations. You cannot go backward after a run like that without your fanbase losing patience in a hurry.

Roseman would likely prefer a 2027 or 2028 first-round pick because he believes the Patriots are headed for a fall-off, especially with the uncertainty around the Mike Vrabel situation. That’s smart football calculus. A future first from a team trending downward could end up being a premium selection.

So if the Patriots want to play hardball, fine. But they need to wake up and realize that letting a talent like A.J. Brown slip through their fingers would be a massive mistake. Other teams have started to circle. Last week, reports surfaced about the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, and even the Kansas City Chiefs expressing interest. The price is not going down. After the Jaylen Waddle trade showed what the market looks like for top-tier receivers, Roseman has zero reason to settle.

The Myles Garrett wildcard

Here’s where things get fascinating. A proposal floated on X has generated real buzz: the Eagles send A.J. Brown, Nolan Smith, and a 2028 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Myles Garrett.

Nolan Smith was recently arrested on a reckless speeding charge, and the outcome of that situation remains unclear.

Roseman would absolutely pick up the phone and call Andrew Berry to explore something like this. Garrett has made it vocal multiple times that he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland. He signed that record-setting extension, but last season he set an NFL record and still couldn’t sniff the postseason. He knows the reality of his situation: He’ll be rich forever, but he may never hold the Lombardi Trophy in a Browns uniform.

There’s been considerable buzz around star edge rushers on the trade block. The T.J. Watt conversations, the Josh Sweat discussions from earlier this week, and now Garrett’s name is generating legitimate noise. If the Eagles can’t get the first-round pick they want for Brown from New England, why not pivot to a deal that transforms the entire defense?

Imagine Myles Garrett lining up opposite the Eagles’ young defensive core in Vic Fangio’s scheme. That’s a terrifying thought for every quarterback in the NFC.

Roseman holds the cards

The Eagles are past the draft, and some teams may not have the assets Philadelphia wants. But Roseman has proven time and time again that he will not get fleeced. He’s running laps around other GMs, and he’s not going to give away one of the best receivers in football for anything less than premium compensation.

Whether it’s the Patriots finally coming to their senses and offering that first-round pick, or the Eagles pivoting to a blockbuster involving a generational pass rusher, Roseman has the chess pieces to make something significant happen. The only question is which move he makes first.

Saquon Barkley says goodbye without saying goodbye

Running back Saquon Barkley addressed the A.J. Brown situation at OTAs, and he handled it with class. Every Eagle who stepped to the podium was asked about Brown’s potential departure, and to their credit, the entire locker room handled those questions with professionalism.

“It’s going to be a hard time for me to say anything bad about A.J. Brown,” Barkley said. “I’m a big fan of A.J., one of my really good friends, one of my favorite teammates that I’ve ever been around. I just respect him as a man. But this is the business. It is the NFL.”

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the negotiations and the handshakes. And where is a player happy? Where do they want to be? What do they want to do? What are their goals? There’s probably a lot that has happened behind the scenes that none of us know about.

They’re all saying it without saying it. A.J. Brown is about to be traded. The locker room knows. The front office knows. The whole league knows. What still puzzles me is why Brown wants to leave a team with this much consistency, this much familiarity, and a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who he once called one of his best friends. Something happened behind the scenes that none of us fully understand. But the respect from his teammates as he heads for the exit speaks volumes about what kind of person he is.