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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Elijah Moore.
The game of reading the tea leaves when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles possibly trading 3-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver and Super Bowl champion A.J. Brown is 1 we have all been playing for much too long now.
But if we’re playing, we might as well try to win. And the latest move by the Eagles this offseason might be 1 that ends up keeping Brown in Philadelphia for at least 1 more year.
The Eagles signed wide receiver Elijah Moore to a 1-year contract on Tuesday, bringing a player onto the roster who Brown not only considers his best friend but a “brother” going back to their college days at Ole Miss.
“Why is this important for AJ Brown?” Chat Sports NFL reporter Chase Senior wrote on his official X account. “Let’s break it down. AJ and Elijah both went to Ole Miss. AJ was drafted in the second round in 2019, Elijah was taken in the second round in 2021. When Elijah was on a recruiting visit to Ole Miss, he stayed with AJ and they later became roommates. They have been best friends ever since. AJ’s mental health struggles are very well documented. He has credited Elijah with helping him through depression and difficult times throughout his life. Elijah has credited AJ with helping mentor him. Does this mean AJ is staying with the Eagles or getting traded? Who knows, but Howie Roseman just signed somebody AJ has referred to as his brother.”
Elijah Moore on 5th NFL Team in 5 Years
The New York Jets selected Moore, 25 years old, in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft. He played for the Cleveland Browns in 2023 and 2024, then played for the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos in 2025.
“Now, (Moore) takes his talents to Philadelphia,” Heavy’s Charlie Baduini wrote on Tuesday. “There’s plenty of talent ahead of him in Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown, but Moore could be the complementary piece the Eagles are looking for when they lost Jahan Dotson in free agency.”
Moore, 5-foot-10 and 178 pounds, could very well be the WR3 option the Eagles have been lacking behind Smith and Brown for several years.
When he’s been given the opportunity, for most of his career, Moore has produced along those lines. Through his 1st 5 seasons, he has 17-game averages of 51 receptions for 552 yards and 2 touchdowns, including career numbers of 209 receptions for 2,274 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Eagles Have Time to Think Over A.J. Brown Trade
Because of the salary cap implications, the Eagles have time to think over any possible trade involving Brown. Although that deal would likely not happen until June 1 at the earliest, it seems more likely they would decide on whether he’s going to stay or if he’s going to go by the time the NFL draft rolls around at the end of April.
Want more tea leaves? Should the Eagles draft a wide receiver in any of the first 3 rounds, we can take that as they are probably leaning toward trading Brown, and in the unlikely scenario they use a 1st round pick on a wide receiver, it would seem to all but seal his fate.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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