After their Super Bowl title defense went down in flames, the Philadelphia Eagles have no margin for error in 2026. Head coach Nick Sirianni may be on the hot seat despite hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2024 season, and he can’t let the drama that constantly circles the franchise lead to another lost year.
This means that shoring up the offense is a key priority. While Sirianni has already made one key move by replacing Kevin Patullo with Sean Mannion, he also needs to eliminate the noise, including wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown remains one of the top receivers in the game. His history of sideline crash-outs, screams for targets, and pettiness has left it within the realm of possibility that the Eagles decide to move on this spring despite the $43.4 million in dead money and $20 million in cap space it would require.
If the Eagles pull the trigger, Howie Roseman would have to get creative to replace him, but there are a few options to pursue.
Eagles Could Reshape Entire WR Room If they Trade A.J. Brown
The biggest beneficiary if the Eagles trade Brown is DeVonta Smith. The Alabama product has been one of the NFL’s best No. 2 receivers since the Eagles took him in the first round of the 2021 draft and his third 1,000-yard season would make him a solid No. 1 option in Mannion’s offense.
But the rest of the depth chart is where things get dicey. Jahan Dotson is a free agent and is unlikely to return to Philadelphia after two underwhelming seasons. Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson are also unlikely to elevate in Brown’s absence and Britain Covey is a special teams option that has rarely been used on offense.
According to Over The Cap’s cap calculator, trading Brown would leave the Eagles with just over $500,000 in cap space with the ability to create more by releasing cornerback Michael Carter II and renegotiating contracts with star players including Jalen Hurts, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.
By making those moves, the Eagles could dive into free agency and find a player that could fill Brown’s spot and also fit into Mannion’s offense.
Romeo Doubs should be at the top of this list after working alongside Mannion for the past two seasons while he was quarterbacks coach with the Green Bay Packers. While Spotrac’s projected market value of $12 million per year is a bit steep, Doubs could be a red zone threat with 21 touchdowns over his four seasons in Green Bay. That could be an added benefit if the Eagles also decline to bring back tight end Dallas Goedert.
The Eagles could also target players with previous experience in the McVay/Shanahan/Kubiak scheme that Mannion wants to run. Rashid Shaheed would fit that billing, after working with Klint Kubiak with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and the Seattle Seahawks in the second half of the 2025 season, and could fit in as a deep threat to replace Brown.
Philadelphia could also target an emerging option in Jalen Nailor of the Minnesota Vikings. While Nailor has yet to record 30 catches or over 500 yards in a single season, his receiving numbers may have been watered down by Minnesota’s quarterback play including J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. He’d also come cheap with an estimated market value of $4.7 million, which could be key considering how much money the Eagles would light on fire by trading Brown.
That last part could also make wide receiver a priority in April’s draft. This year’s class isn’t as deep as the 2027 group is projected to be, but it has its share of playmakers. NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein compared Washington's Denzel Boston to Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua thanks to his separation skills and "outstanding competitive toughness” and could bring a bulldog mentality to the receiver room in Brown’s absence.
Other targets who could be around the Eagles’ 23rd overall pick include Texas A&M’s Kevin Concepcion and USC’s Mekhi Lemon, according to the NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. The Eagles could also use some of their later-round picks to add depth they haven’t had at WR recently.
It would be a big gamble to trade Brown, especially when other teams know he wants out of Philadelphia. But there are plenty of options for the Eagles if they want to pursue a blockbuster trade.