There’s a massive problem surrounding A.J. Brown’s blurry future with the Philadelphia Eagles
People are talking about A.J. Brown’s future with the Eagles, but this will be a massive factor.
From multiple drops to a sideline spat with head coach Nick Sirianni, A.J. Brown’s future with the Philadelphia Eagles is getting blurrier and blurrier following the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After Brown left the locker room without speaking to the media, people are understandably discussing his future with the team. And with how aggressive Eagles GM Howie Roseman is, everything is on the table. But there’s a massive problem with any discussion about moving him, and it starts with his contract.
A.J. Brown’s contract is a headache
As salary cap expert Michael Ginnitti from Spotrac pointed out on social media, Brown’s contract will make it very tough for the Eagles to move on from him. His cap hit for 2026 sits at $23.4 million and if the Eagles trade him before June 1, they’d take on the fourth largest single-season dead cap hit in history at $43.5 million. And their cap savings? A negative $20 million.
Even if you agree Brown’s play has declined and his relationship with the coaching staff—which certainly doesn’t appear to be safe, either—is deteriorating, are things bad enough to take such a bad beating financially?
This means one thing if the Eagles want to turn the page despite it all: Trading him after June 1 is better.
Now granted, it’s still pretty bad for the books. Such a move would free up $7 million, per Over the Cap. Brown would take up a much more manageable $16.3 million of the Eagles’ cap in dead money. So then, what’s the problem? Well, the Eagles wouldn’t get 2026 draft picks. And if you ask me, it’s never fun to move on from an All-Pro caliber receiver only to reap the benefits one year later.
Expect plenty of talk about Brown’s future over the coming months, but this is the massive problem Roseman will be facing. How do you balance losing an All-Pro talent for delayed gratification in the shape of 2027 draft picks? Is it even worth it? We’ll find out.
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