Nick Sirianni: No Guarantee A.J. Brown Remains With Eagles
Trade talks involving A.J. Brown were expected to take place this offseason, and the Combine represents prime dealing ground. While the Eagles may not be shopping the accomplished wide receiver, this rocky partnership could be tested in Indianapolis.
Brown gripes about his role have been commonplace, and the Eagles’ 2025 season-ender brought a short sideline confrontation with Nick Sirianni. Although Brown has reeled off four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, his Eagles tenure is uncertain to reach Year 5. Considering the contract component, the Eagles would need a big trade haul to move on.
Sirianni confirmed both he and Brown want this partnership to continue, but the sixth-year Eagles HC stopped short of guaranteeing he would be back.
“As Howie [Roseman] said, it’s hard to get good players in this league. A.J.’s a great player, and A.J. is a good teammate, and A.J. is a good person,” Sirianni said, via ESPN.com’s Tim McManus. “Does he want to be here? Yes. Do I want him to be here? Yes.
“Will A.J. be here next season? I think we’re still in a spot, like, I can’t guarantee how anything is going to play out into next season.”
That certainly qualifies as coach-speak, but the Eagles may field some viable offers for a player who has grumbled about his place in an offense that just changed coordinators yet again. Sean Mannion replaced Kevin Patullo and will call plays in 2026. It would be unlikely Mannion would voice a strong objection to rostering Brown, but the former Titans draftee has voiced frustration about his role under Patullo and Kellen Moore.
Missing two games last season (only one due to injury), Brown saw his yards-per-game figure drop to 66.9. That marked a Philly-years-low figure. The Eagles have both he and DeVonta Smith on extensions, the latter a now-team-friendly three-year, $75MM deal. The team paid Brown a second time in 2024, giving him a then-receiver-record $32MM-per-year extension. That contract runs through 2029. As this is the Eagles, option bonuses comprise a sizable chunk of the contract. Moving on would be difficult from a dead money perspective.
Philly would absorb a receiver-record $43.45MM in dead money by moving Brown, who would generate no cap savings in a trade before June 1. If the Eagles held onto Brown and moved him after that date, a la the Falcons’ 2021 Julio Jones trade or last year’s Dolphins-Steelers Jalen Ramsey swap, they would save more than $7MM. That may be the only way out for Brown this offseason.
“I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything,” Roseman said. “If someone is going to give you something you didn’t anticipate and you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team you’re with. Certainly, we’ve been in situations where there were guys we didn’t anticipate trading that we got an offer that was too good, and then you balance it with what you can get there.
“Without getting into specifics on any player, we’re always listening and we’re always kind of open. There’s very few things that I would shoot down without even hearing what that means, because how does it hurt to listen?”
Brown, 29 in June, prompted trade offers before last year’s deadline. The Eagles listened, though they informed teams the high-maintenance wideout was unlikely to be moved. A subsequent Brown-Jeffery Lurie meeting led to the receiver promising he would not air grievances through social media.
The Eagles discussed Dallas Goedert in trades last year but eventually reached a solution (via pay cut). No pay-cut move is coming here, but the team is far from certain to trade such an important piece of its offense in a Super Bowl window. Given the Brown contract’s structure, it is possible this saga will linger into the summer. But the Combine will give the Eagles an early window to hear what could be out there for their star pass catcher. A Brown trade later this year would certainly give Philly a major need, as a trade to acquire a replacement may be needed down the line.
Vikings Discussing Javon Hargrave Trade
The Combine serves a function for veteran players as well, with trade talks regularly commencing at the annual scouting event. One of the pieces available this year comes out of Minnesota.
The Vikings are shopping Javon Hargrave, veteran insider Jordan Schultz tweets, indicating the NFC North team has engaged in trade talks with the experienced defensive tackle. Minnesota signed Hargrave to a three-year, $30MM deal following his 2025 49ers release. That contract includes a partial guarantee for 2026.
Hargrave, who turned 33 earlier this month, is due $4MM guaranteed on his $14.2MM base salary. If the Vikings are unable to trade the 11th-year defender, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis notes lists him as an obvious cut candidate. If the Vikings release Hargrave, they will save nearly $11MM but will take on $10.5MM in dead money. A trade would create nearly $15MM in cap space, though the Vikes may need to pay down some of the D-tackle’s salary to facilitate a trade.
After stops with the Steelers, Eagles and 49ers, Hargrave started 15 games for the Vikings last season. Minnesota added proven vets on its D-line, also signing Jonathan Allen after his Commanders release. Hargrave, who missed 14 games in 2024, registered 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble last season. Pro Football Focus graded Hargrave fairly well, slotting him 36th overall among interior D-linemen.
It appears the Vikings are hoping that healthy Hargrave season will boost his trade value and allow for cap savings to emerge without a release. No guarantee trigger dates are in place for Hargrave this offseason; the rest of his 2026 salary will not lock until just before Week 1, giving the Vikings some time.
They would obviously need to move on soon if they want to use any savings toward free agency. A post-June 1 designation would divide Hargrave’s dead cap hit over two years, but the Vikes could not use those savings until June. Minnesota is projected to land $43MM-plus over the 2026 salary cap, giving the team considerable work to reach cap compliance by the start of the league year (March 11).
Minnesota has been active on its D-line over the past year, adding Allen and Hargrave and trading Harrison Phillips. The team received promising work from UDFA Jalen Redmond, who can be retained via ERFA tender next month. Allen’s three-year, $51MM deal includes an $8MM guarantee for 2026, offering the former first-rounder better protection (though, PFF ranked Allen 84th among interior D-linemen last season) Minnesota has recent Day 3 draftees Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (2025 fifth round) and Levi Drake Rodriguez (2024 seventh) rostered at the position as well.
Texans Will Not Trade C.J. Stroud; Joe Mixon Undergoes Surgery
C.J. Stroud has not built on his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year performance, and a miserable playoff showing restricted a dominant Texans defense. The quarterback is now extension-eligible, but a recent report pressed pause on that topic.
The Texans do not look to be planning a Stroud extension for 2026, but the team will exercise the former No. 2 overall pick’s fifth-year option. That will extend Stroud’s contract through 2027, buying the organization some time. While Year 5 QB extensions are not commonplace, that may be where this settles.
GM Nick Caserio said Tuesday no trade is coming, confirming (via ESPN.com’s DJ Bien-Aime) the fourth-year passer is “not going anywhere.” Stroud, 24, is on track to make $1.15MM in base salary on his fully guaranteed $36.28MM rookie contract.
Considering the Ohio State product’s rookie-year performance and the flashes shown over the ensuing two seasons, it would be surprising if the Texans truly considered moving on this year. The fifth-year option will create an opportunity for Stroud to boost his stock this season, which would allow him to set a price point closer to the top of the market in 2027.
Most successful QBs who go off the board in Round 1 are extended after their third seasons, but Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa have been outliers in recent years. Jackson played out his option season and was extended after being franchise-tagged in 2023. The Dolphins let Tagovailoa play out his fourth season and paid him before Year 5. That turned out to be the wrong move, and Miami is on track to eat record-smashing dead money. That example would point to Houston caution with Stroud, but given the mess the organization was in after the Deshaun Watson scandal, giving a promising but unspectacular passer another shot certainly makes sense.
The Texans paired Stroud and Joe Mixon in 2024 but needed to adjust at running back last season, when Mixon missed 17 games because of an unspecified injury. Mixon, 29, landed on the reserve/NFI list because of a “complicated” foot and ankle injury. The 2024 trade acquisition has undergone surgery, Caserio said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson).
The former Bengals regular may not play again. If/when the Texans release Mixon from his two-year, $19.75MM extension, it would free up $8MM in cap space. Nick Chubb played out his one-year Houston contract, but Woody Marks (703 rookie-year rushing yards) has three years left on his rookie deal. The Texans will likely add another RB to complement Marks or push him for the starting job soon.
Tua Tagovailoa Has Not Requested Trade
As it stands, the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa chapter is nearing an end. Most likely, that conclusion will come via release. No trade market is believed to exist for the slumping passer, and the Dolphins have been closely linked to Malik Willis.
A Tagovailoa release would tag the Dolphins with a record-setting $99.2MM. While that could be spread over two years via a post-June 1 designation, it would make reuniting Willis and new HC Jeff Hafley difficult. Tagovailoa has spoken highly of a fresh start, but new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) the six-year veteran has not requested a trade.
“We’re evaluating the entire roster,” Sullivan said at the Combine. “As it pertains to Tua, we’ve had conversations with Tua and his representation. Everything is on the table, including the potential of a trade. We don’t know which way that’s going to go. There’s a lot of different factors at play, a lot of conversations being had.”
These comments remind of Sullivan’s most recent remarks from a Dolphins fan event, where the former Packers exec mentioned he had spoken to Tagovailoa about his future. It would surprise if Miami found a trade taker. In the event one does form, the Dolphins would need to eat plenty of the southpaw QB’s $54MM 2026 guarantee.
With Zach Wilson a free agent, the Dolphins have Quinn Ewers — their end-of-season starter following Tua’s benching — as a possible starter. Sullivan reiterated he plans to infuse his new QB room with competition. That would point to a free agency addition and a draft choice coming in. This is not viewed as a deep quarterback class on either front, potentially pointing to Ewers — a 2025 seventh-round pick — having a legitimate shot to start in the event Miami cannot lure Willis.
As PFR’s Dolphins Offseason Outlook notes, Miami will need to act by March 13. Another $18MM guarantee — via a $15MM option bonus and $3MM 2027 salary guarantee — will vest for the embattled QB on that date. It would be stunning if Tua remained a Dolphin after that date. It is widely expected this process will remind of the Broncos’ 2024 Russell Wilson ending, when the AFC West team cut the disappointing arm to bring a record-shattering $84.6MM in dead money. The Dolphins are on the verge of eclipsing that number by a wide margin, barring something unforeseen.
Offseason Outlook: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks entered the 2025 season having not won a playoff game in six years. They had lost steam from the prime Russell Wilson period. Bobby Wagner's 2024 move to the Commanders severed roster ties to the Legion of Boom Super Bowl years, with Pete Carroll being fired shortly before that defection. John Schneider, however, remained and was in the process of transforming the roster.
Schneider and Mike Macdonald -- the NFL's youngest head coach in 2025 -- completed a level jump last season, revitalizing Seattle's defense and making key changes on offense. Shipping out Geno Smith and D.K. Metcalf, the Seahawks built a championship roster on the backs of those swaps and the seminal 2022 Wilson trade. After winning the Rams rubber match, the Seahawks demolished the overmatched Patriots in Super Bowl LX. They now have several starters from that roster unsigned, as a title defense mission commences.
Coaching/front office:
- Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak became Raiders' head coach
- Hired Brian Fleury as OC replacement
- Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko became Raiders' OC
- Run-game coordinator Rick Dennison joined Kubiak's Raiders staff
- Hired Zach Orr as inside linebackers coach
- Blocked Justin Outten from Raiders interview, promoted Outten to run-game coordinator
- DC Aden Durde interviewed for Browns, Falcons' HC jobs
- DBs coach Karl Scott interviewed for Cardinals, Commanders' DC jobs
- WRs coach Frisman Jackson interviewed for Raiders' OC job
- Pass-game coordinator Jake Peetz interviewed for Lions' OC job
Just as the Legion of Boom-era team lost coordinators (Gus Bradley, Dan Quinn) to HC jobs, Macdonald's staff saw Kubiak draw extensive interest. It became known before Super Bowl LX the first-year Seattle OC was bound for Las Vegas. Despite a spree of coach and GM turnover this decade, the Raiders convinced Kubiak to take his HC shot in a loaded AFC West.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 2/20/26
Pro Football Rumors' Sam Robinson will be holding a live chat at 4pm Central today, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!
Offseason Outlook: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were one of this offseason's teams to split up an HC-GM combo that arrived together. Hired in 2023, the Jonathan Gannon-Monti Ossenfort duo separated after a 3-14 season. Like the Ravens, Bills, Giants, Titans, Raiders and Browns, the Cardinals will give their GM more time after canning their HC.
Arizona certainly was not at the front of this year's line when it came to luring coaches. Rumored to want Klint Kubiak, the Cardinals pivoted once the Seahawks' OC chose the Raiders. Enter Mike LaFleur, who will become the fourth Sean McVay OC to land a head coaching job. As Ossenfort and LaFleur face an uphill battle in a loaded NFC West, they have a big decision to make; Kyler Murray's days in the desert may be numbered, but a quarterback upgrade will not be easy to make this year. How will the Cards proceed with the former No. 1 overall pick?
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach Jonathan Gannon
- Hired Mike LaFleur as HC replacement
- Added Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator
- Retained Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator, Justin Frye as O-line coach
- Hired Matt Schaub as quarterbacks coach
- Hired Michael Ghobrial as special teams coordinator
- Pass-game specialist Connor Senger interviewed for Bears, Seahawks' OC jobs
While a pre-Week 18 report had Gannon on the right side of the bubble, it was certainly not shocking to see a team fire a coach after a three-win season. Following a 2-0 start, the Cardinals took a historic tumble. Close losses gave way to blowouts. After the Cardinals had shown improvement during an 8-9 2024, they nosedived in a season when Murray was limited to five games. The Cards looked to be OK shelving Murray while starting Jacoby Brissett, but their defense cratered as well. This proved too much for Gannon to overcome.
Offseason Outlook: Miami Dolphins
During an offseason in which several head coaches were held responsible for organizational shortcomings while general managers retained their jobs, the Dolphins were the rare team to start fresh. Despite initially giving Mike McDaniel some input in the team's GM search, the Dolphins canned their four-year HC and will reboot around Packers staffers.
Miami brought in Green Bay exec Jon-Eric Sullivan, who hired two-year Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to succeed McDaniel. Sullivan inherits a quarterback quandary, thanks to ousted GM Chris Grier's ill-advised Tua Tagovailoa extension. The Dolphins are staring at a record-setting dead money number. Were the team to keep Tagovailoa for one more season, a 2027 breakup would be much easier. As it stands, a 2026 separation looks like where this is headed. And it will overshadow Miami's first Sullivan-Hafley offseason.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired head coach Mike McDaniel
- Hired Jeff Hafley as HC replacement
- Hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager
- Promoted senior pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik to OC
- Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver became Ravens' DC
- Hired Sean Duggan a DC replacement
- Hired Kyle Smith as assistant GM, Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator
- Added Kevin Patullo as pass-game coordinator
- QBs coach hire Nathaniel Hackett became Cardinals' OC; Bush Hamdan named replacement
- Defensive pass-game coordinator Brian Duker became Jets' DC
- Retained defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Barry
- Added Ladell Betts as RBs coach, Tyke Tolbert as WRs coach
Reporting shifted in the wake of Grier's Halloween firing. McDaniel appeared to have done enough to retain his job for a fifth season. The Dolphins won four straight games to reach 6-7 and the fringes of the wild-card race. This included an upset win over the Bills. But an ugly showing in Pittsburgh on a Monday night brought big-picture changes.
AFC West Notes: Broncos, Powers, Raiders, Staff, Tart, Chargers, Chiefs
As it stands, the Broncos are the rare team with five offensive linemen signed to eight-figure-per-year contracts. They ensured this status by extending center Luke Wattenberg (four years, $48MM) during their November bye week. Three-year left guard starter Ben Powers was injured when that deal went down, and PFR’s Broncos Offseason Outlook mentioned the veteran as a cut candidate following Wattenberg’s payday. We may be moving closer to that reality.
In predicting how the Broncos will proceed with Powers, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel pegs a release as the most likely outcome. Denver would save $8.4MM by releasing Powers, who signed a four-year deal worth $52MM in 2023. The Broncos signed Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey on Day 1 of the ’23 legal tampering period, and both have helped the team’s O-line complete a turnaround. But the Broncos have since paid Wattenberg and All-Pros Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz. With former UDFA Alex Palczewski replacing Powers for 10 starts last season, he is a candidate to take over at LG.
The Broncos will only make this Powers move if they view Palczewski — a 2023 UDFA who can be kept for one more season via RFA tender — ready to move into the lineup, The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider adds. Powers, 29, has played well when healthy. Run block win rate tabbed him first among all interior O-linemen in 2024, while Pro Football Focus ranked Powers 35th among guards (with Palczewski 62nd) last season. Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- Klint Kubiak is still assembling his Raiders staff, and another familiar name is on his radar. The Raiders requested permission to interview Vikings assistant Jordan Traylor for their quarterbacks coach position, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Traylor worked with Kubiak with the 2024 Saints, spending six seasons in New Orleans. He served as Vikings assistant QBs coach in 2025. Minnesota has already lost tight ends coach Brian Angelichio to an OC post (with the Steelers) and wide receivers coach Tony Sorrentino to the Cardinals. Traylor would represent another defection from Kevin O’Connell‘s offensive staff.
- The Raiders are also expected to hire Zach Azzani as their wide receivers coach, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Azzani, 49, previously worked with Kubiak on the 2022 Broncos’ staff. Denver’s five-year WRs coach (2018-22), Azzani coached the Jets’ receivers in 2023 and spent the past two years in that role with the Steelers. Las Vegas would be Azzani’s fifth NFL stop as a receivers coach.
- Dismissed by the Cowboys as they changed defensive staffs last month, Andre Curtis has found a new home. The Chiefs announced his hire as safeties coach. Curtis, 49, has been an NFL staffer since 2006. He spent seven seasons on Pete Carroll‘s Seattle staffs (2015-21), finishing that tenure with four seasons as the Seahawks’ pass-game coordinator on defense. After three seasons coaching Bears safeties, Curtis worked as the Cowboys’ defensive pass-game coordinator last season. Steve Spagnuolo had Curtis on all three of Rams staffs when the former was St. Louis’ HC from 2009-11.
- After dodging an ACL tear near the end of the Chiefs’ season, Gardner Minshew has returned to full strength, per Schefter. Minshew, who started in Week 16 but missed Kansas City’s final two games, will be healthy as teams evaluate him as a potential backup or bridge option in free agency.
- Broncos DB/special-teamer JL Skinner revealed he played the 2025 season with a labrum tear, confirming (via Mile High Sports’ Cody Roark) he underwent surgery recently. One season remains on Skinner’s rookie contract; he saw action on 68% of the Broncos’ special teams plays last season.
- The Chargers started a bit early in free agency by re-signing Teair Tart. The veteran defensive tackle has done well on his third Bolts deal. Tart re-signed on a three-year, $30MM contract that includes $15MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. This guarantee includes $4.98MM of his 2027 salary. Tart, 29 later this month, played on a one-year, $4.5MM deal in 2025. Both the Titans and Dolphins cut him earlier this decade.
Chiefs Restructure Patrick Mahomes’ Deal
The gift that keeps on giving for the Chiefs’ payroll, Patrick Mahomes‘ contract will see another restructure. Kansas City is going to this well for a fifth time since authorizing the megadeal in July 2020.
This latest adjustment will free up $43.56MM in cap space, according to OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald. While this move clears considerable funds, the Chiefs still have a longer journey toward cap compliance. Per OverTheCap, they are still projected to be more than $11MM over the 2026 salary ceiling.
[RELATED: Examining Chiefs’ Offseason Outlook]
Mahomes’ cap number was set to be an untenable $78.21MM; it now drops to $34.65MM. For the future, OverTheCap adds the superstar quarterback’s cap hits will rise by $10.89MM in each of the next four seasons. That will mean an $85.25MM number in 2027 (and likely another restructure). Mahomes’ 10-year, $450MM contract still runs through 2031.
The Chiefs completed a true reworking, rather than merely moving money around, in 2023 — after the $50MM-per-year QB club began to form (Mahomes’ AAV remains $45MM). They have moved to restructure that updated deal in 2024, 2025 and again Wednesday. Specifically, ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicates the Chiefs converted $54.45MM of Mahomes’ 2026 compensation into a signing bonus, which can be prorated into future years.
When the Chiefs designed this contract in 2020, Mahomes vaulted $10MM past the field in AAV. It took him committing to the team on a 10-year extension for the club to grant such a leap, but the field caught up to the three-time Super Bowl champion fast. Mahomes’ AAV now sits tied for 14th among QBs. No one else since Mahomes’ extension has agreed to a deal longer than six years, with Josh Allen‘s six-year pact coming closest. Both deals, the Chiefs’ especially, have allowed for tremendous cap flexibility.
More restructures could happen for the Chiefs this offseason; they redid Chris Jones‘ megadeal in 2025. But they also figure to make some true cap-casualty moves. A Jawaan Taylor release, which will save $20MM in cap space, is expected. The Chiefs can also turn to Mike Danna and Kristian Fulton‘s deals to create nearly $15MM in cap room.
Mahomes, 30, remains in the early stages of rehab from ACL and LCL tears. Week 1 remains the future Hall of Famer’s target, but the Chiefs will soon get to work on adding talent around their 10th-year passer.