It wouldn’t be an NFL offseason without some outlandish Philadelphia Eagles-related rumor taking the internet by storm. It’s taken just a matter of weeks for whispers of a potential A.J Brown trade to emerge and like all good rumors, the discourse has spiralled way out of control.
The Eagles might have fell short of the mark this year, but are still only one season removed from a Super Bowl appearance – A.J Brown’s first season with the team. In the two years he’s played in Philadelphia, Brown has 2,862 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s become arguably the most dominant wideout in franchise history, slashing his way through numerous team records and even making NFL history during the 2023 regular season.
So why on earth would they trade him?
A.J Brown is a trade candidate?!
Well, according to 94.1 WIP of all places, Brown is a prime trade candidate despite there being absolutely nothing at all that points toward this possibility.
There were some rumblings earlier in the season amidst the teams’ downfall that Brown was unhappy. He wears his heart on his sleeve and was spotted on numerous occasions being very vocal about his frustrations on the sideline. This involved a ‘spat’ with Jalen Hurts, and a few outbursts of emotion scattered throughout the year.
Brown then refused to talk to reporters following a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals. This is where things really picked up.
Around this time, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer published an article stating that A.J Brown’s recent frustration is less about the media/teammates and more at the coaching staff. If we’re being honest, he had a right to be mad at all of them.
Brown would then meet reporters at his locker and explaining that he didn’t have anything nice to say, and hint that the media would paint him out as a villain regardless of what he said, so why add fuel to the fire? He wanted Marcus Hayes to be there to discuss the article because he feels it’s misplaced, but, shock, he wasn’t.
The season came to a heartbreaking end and A.J Brown wiped his social media channels, presumably to get away from the endless tweets and messages he was likely destined to receive. However, this only further pushed outlets like 94.1 WIP to speculate on his future.
Will the Eagles trade A.J Brown?
Let’s clear something up. Trading the most productive receiver the team has had in over a decade is completely asinine. If it wasn’t outlandish enough, the Eagles would also have to swallow a $42 MILLION cap hit. Would a GM as savvy as Howie Roseman really let that happen?
Brown recently appeared on the ‘Up and Adams’ Podcast to discuss the previous season and what lies ahead, stating the following (Hat Tip to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports):
“I don’t know. Maybe they know something I don’t know,” Brown said. “I kinda been through this before. I’m a vet. I’ll remain quiet. If something happens I’ll be waiting by the phone and if not, I’ll be right here.”
He’s not wrong. At just 26-years-old, he’s already endured one franchise randomly turning their back on him for no good reason. Brown also mentioned that he doesn’t want the media to ‘break up’ he and Eagles teammate DeVonta Smith, who have a great relationship.
A.J Brown will be playing for the Eagles in 2024
As the years go by, the media landscape in Philadelphia becomes more and more toxic. It’s hard to really tell where these narratives stem or why they come to fruition, but the Eagles constantly find themselves surrounded by drama and not much of it is actually caused by themselves.
The city is lucky to have players like A.J Brown who are vocal leaders, willing to discuss their emotions openly, and hold people accountable for their comments. But to act like he’s suddenly expendable and trading him is a very easy thing to do is absolutely ridiculous.
Hopefully we see another dominant campaign from A.J Brown in 2024 under a new offensive coordinator to shut a lot of people up.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
