The Philadelphia Eagles are two weeks away from the NFL draft, but all anyone can keep talking about is what will happen with A.J. Brown. Brown’s crash-outs became a weekly occurrence during a disappointing defense of the Eagles’ Super Bowl title. While general manager Howie Roseman reiterated that the 28-year-old is still part of the team, his actions have suggested otherwise.
The latest hint came on Friday afternoon when the Eagles acquired Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers. Normally, this would be a shrewd move that could fill a depth need for Philadelphia. But it seems more than that, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that the two sides agreed on a one-year, $12.5 million extension.
The trade, which also sent a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 sixth-round pick to Green Bay, could mean Wicks will have a substantial role in the Eagles' offense next season. But it could also be another breadcrumb leading Brown out of Philadelphia.
Eagles’ Dontayvion Wicks Trade Could Be Prelude to Life Without A.J. Brown
Brown’s situation is an interesting one leading into the draft. Despite grabbing 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, he frequently clashed about the state of the offense and became a distraction throughout the 2025 season. The Eagles tried to rectify the problem by removing Kevin Patullo from the offensive coordinator role, replacing him with Sean Mannion. Despite that, it appears that Mannion has his own plans, poaching a promising young receiver prospect from the Packers with whom he is quite familiar.
Wicks hasn’t put up massive numbers, catching 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons with the Packers. But he’s flashed at times, most recently when he caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns during a Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions.
Pro Football Focus also hints at Wicks’s sleeper potential, charting him at 1.60 yards per route run during his career. He profiles as a deep target with an average depth of target (aDOT) of 11.8 yards during his career and 11.6 yards last season. Plain and simple, there are a variety of ways to utilize Wicks in Philadelphia, depending on how Mannion wants to deploy him.
With Mannion previously the quarterback coach in Green Bay, it would make sense for him to get a receiver who has experience in the scheme he wants to run. However, it also could mean that it’s only a matter of time until Brown is traded.
The Eagles have been heavily rumored to be shopping Brown, with the New England Patriots considered the top suitor. While a trade may benefit both sides in a football sense, the Eagles would be wise to wait until after June 1, when the dead money on Brown’s current three-year, $96 million contract extension drops from $43.4 million to $16.3 million, per Over The Cap. And although Brown is still a productive receiver, his yards per route run tell a different story with his 1.96 clip marking a career low last season.
There’s no guarantee that Wicks will have more success in Philadelphia than he did in Green Bay. And it could also just be a move that makes up for Jahan Dotson’s departure to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. But the Eagles could accomplish the same thing by taking a receiver in the upcoming draft, which would be an even bigger hint that a trade is coming.
There are enough crumbs to make the rumor mill fat and happy about the potential for a Brown trade, and the latest Eagles move could suggest that it could happen before the start of the 2026 season.