No offseason decision facing the Philadelphia Eagles is more complicated and frustrating than debating the future of A.J. Brown. The star receiver is on a highly-paid deal, but is a tempting trade target due to an underwhelming playoff performance and a consistent track record of being a frustrating distraction.
Looking at Brown's contract via Spotrac, the Eagles can't part ways with him without taking on a painful dead cap hit. The clearest path to a potential divorce is trading Brown after June 1, clearing $7 million in cap space. However, this is far outweighed by a $16.3 million dead cap hit for the 2026 season, and that number grows to $27.1 million the following season.
Not only does Brown's contract discourage an offseason move, but it is also easy to argue that it is to Philadelphia's detriment. The counter to this is Brown's act growing tired on a roster that should be focused on Super Bowl contention. Instead, all Brown cares about is getting his deserved targets and will not hesitate to become a distraction if the offense isn't meeting his expectations.
It's clear that Brown's offseason situation is setting up to be a distraction, and that's a headache the Eagles likely don't want to deal with.
Eagles Cannot Win Facing impossible A.J. Brown Offseason Decision
Whether it is reading a book on the sidelines ahead of last season's Super Bowl run or dropping passes in the latest postseason, the one thing Brown is consistent in is the ability to draw headlines. As talented a pass-catcher as he might be, this has quickly worn on Philly fans, coaches, and players, making an offseason exit plausible.
Perhaps the biggest issue with Brown is a 2025 season full of noise, and when quarterback Jalen Hurts gave him a chance on the biggest stage, Brown shrank. In the Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he had two incredibly costly drops that would kill momentum and force the offense into desperation mode. A player who is paid to be a star and talks as if he cannot be stopped in any situation came up small.
It is frustrating and points to the fact that if the contract situation weren't so complicated, Brown would already be on his way out the door. The Eagles need more positivity from their WR room and a willingness to put the team above self. It's hard to do that when Brown is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, so it's easy to see why some Philly fans might view a potential exit as addition by subtraction.
General manager Howie Roseman and the front office must weigh whether the juice is worth the squeeze. As tempting as it might be to run things back, a fresh start might be what's best for both sides, allowing DeVonta Smith to take over as the clear-cut WR1 while Roseman & Co. rebuild the wideout depth through the draft and free agency.
Trading Brown after the Super Bowl 59 win may have sounded insane, but now that the Eagles are on the outside looking in this offseason, parting ways doesn't seem so absurd after all.