A.J. Brown warms up while catching a football before an Eagles game.
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Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A. J. Brown warms up before a game as trade speculation involving the New England Patriots continues to grow.
The New England Patriots could have Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown on their roster by the end of the day Friday, according to a top NFL insider who discussed the Eagles’ much-anticipated trade of Brown on a Philadelphia podcast early in the day.
The sudden pressure to trade Brown — or decide to keep him — is directly linked to the contract extension situation surrounding eight-year veteran tight end Dallas Goedert, who has spent his entire career with the Eagles after being drafted in the second round out of South Dakota State back in 2018. Goedert’s contract was set to void on Tuesday, the day before the first day of the NFL business year. But the Eagles agreed to push the void date by two days, presumably in order to give more time to work out an extension.
If the Eagles decide to release the 31-year-old Goedert, that move would come with a $20.5 million dead cap hit.
However, a trade of Brown would also come with a substantial cap hit — $23.4 million.
The Eagles are highly unlikely to absorb both salary cap hits. As of Friday, Philadelphia has $11.5 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. Trading Brown without signing Goedert would essentially eat all of the Eagles’ salary cap space.
Why Insider Says A.J. Brown Trade Could Happen Today
The Eagles must make a decision on Goedert Friday, which means they are likely to also make a decision on the Brown trade, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, in an interview with Philadelphia sports media personality Anthony Gargano Friday morning.
“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 A.J. as well, because those two are interconnected. If you lose Goedert, you take a huge cap hit. If you trade A.J., you take a huge cap hit. So there’s not going to be an A.J. trade and a Goedert release. It’s going to be one or the other.”
The Los Angeles Rams have also surfaced, in just the last week, as a potential trade destination for Brown, according to report by The Athletic. But another expert, Locked on Patriots host Nick Cattles wasn’t buying it.
“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.
Will the A.J. Brown to Patriots Trade Happen?
The Patriots remain the most likely option for Brown, who has also dropped strong hints that New England is his preferred destination. If, as Cattles said, the Eagles are floating the Rams as another possible trade partner simply to drive Brown’s price up, the situation will probably be resolved today, according to Garafolo.
“There has been communication between the Eagles and other teams regarding A.J. 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.”
Asked on Thursday if the Patriots were still pursuing Brown, New England executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf simply said the Patriots will “explore anything that we think can help the team.”