The Philadelphia Eagles made one of the most notable moves of the opening round of the draft when they traded up to get wide receiver Makai Lemon. One of the top receivers in this year’s class, Lemon fell to the No. 20 pick on Thursday night, and general manager Howie Roseman beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to the punch, trading two fourth-round selections (No. 114 and 137) to the Dallas Cowboys to send the USC product to Philadelphia.
The Eagles are hoping this deal will work out just as well as their last trade-up with the Cowboys for a receiver on draft night when they landed DeVonta Smith. But it also continues the theme of stockpiling receivers, given all the rumors surrounding an A.J. Brown trade.
Brown’s status with the Eagles has been rumored for months and took a turn when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that June 1 could be a key date in negotiations with the New England Patriots, or any team interested in the All-Pro receiver. There’s a good chance that Brown can now call his real estate agent after the Eagles aggressively moved up to select Lemon on Thursday night.
A.J. Brown is as Good as Gone After Eagles Trade Up For Makai Lemon
The Eagles were wise to make a move up the board for Lemon. The former Trojan established himself as a top prospect with 52 catches for 764 yards and three touchdowns in the 2024 season and backed it up by grabbing 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 TDs last fall. At 21 years old, Lemon has plenty of upside, but he also joins a Philadelphia receiver room that seems to be getting deeper by the minute.
Schefter noted after the trade that, dating back to March 17, the Eagles have added four receivers. The trend began when Marquise “Hollywood” Brown signed in free agency and continued when the Eagles added Elijah Moore on March 24. Philadelphia also traded for Dontayvion Wicks and gave him a one-year, $12.5 million contract extension on April 10. Lemon might as well have handed Brown a plane ticket to New England or wherever he would end up.
It’s the latest in a batch of tea leaves for a situation that has been brewing for over a year. While Brown completed his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign since arriving in Philadelphia in a trade during the 2022 draft, and his sixth in eight seasons in the NFL, his frustrations with the Eagles' offense were front and center throughout last year. Some of the issues may have been solved when Kevin Patullo was removed from offensive coordinator duties and replaced by Sean Mannion. However, unless the Eagles are constructing a comically deep receiver room for next season, it feels like Brown could be on the way out.
Trading Brown makes more sense after June 1, as it comes with less dead money ($16.3 million) against the franchise, saving $7 million against the cap. Teams will be lining up to acquire the three-time Pro Bowler and three-time Second-Team All-Pro if he becomes available.
This is especially true for teams that aren’t able to add a receiver in this weekend’s draft, and the Eagles could look brilliant by waiting it out, saving some money, and sending Brown to the highest bidder after June 1.
While there was a chance the Eagles could retain Brown, it appears less likely by the day, and it may be the decision to trade up for Lemon that sends the veteran out of Philadelphia.
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