The Philadelphia Eagles held serious conversations with both the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots about trading wide receiver A.J. Brown, but will not trade Brown at this time, multiple league sources tell The Athletic.
Both teams in recent weeks discussed trading for Brown, whose frustrations in Philadelphia were a running subplot of the Eagles’ 2025 season. While the Rams and Patriots remain interested, no move is imminent. If a trade were to happen, league sources say it would likely heat up closer to June 1.
The Rams wound up using one of their two 2026 first-round picks to acquire All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie last week.
Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman is juggling several salary-cap-related decisions, including the future of tight end Dallas Goedert. The void date on Goedert’s contract was pushed to Monday, and clarity on Brown’s future could help shape several other roster decisions for the Eagles.
The Athletic previously reported that Roseman’s philosophy has remained consistent, dating back to last season: He won’t part with a great player for nothing, especially for an Eagles team in the middle of its championship window. His asking price for Brown was a first- and a second-round pick.
That’s the return the Green Bay Packers received for Davante Adams when they traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. Adams was 29 at the time and entering his ninth NFL season. Brown is 28 and entering his eighth NFL season.
A league source believed the Eagles were trying to get multiple teams competing for Brown before free agency began, but with an incredibly high asking price. Early on, the receiver market moved elsewhere, though, with the Buffalo Bills trading for DJ Moore and New England signing Romeo Doubs as free agency began. The Rams continued to wait and monitor Brown’s situation.
The Patriots also engaged in trade talks about Brown with the Eagles before the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period, but no deal came together. Eliot Wolf, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, told New England media members this week that there was no drop-dead date for a potential deal.
“I think the only real deadlines you have are salary-cap related,” Wolf said. “For instance, did we spend money in free agency that would take us out of something else? But I wouldn’t say there’s a deadline on trying to improve the team.”