Wide receiver A.J. Brown is expected to return from his hamstring injury after the Eagles’ Week 9 bye, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Though, drama still engulfs the veteran wide receiver beyond this injury — one that caused the star receiver to miss Philly’s Week 8 tilt against New York.

Trade rumors have followed the three-time Pro Bowler since his slow start to the year and perceived personal problems in the locker room. Multiple teams are “eyeing” Brown ahead of next week’s trade deadline, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and the Eagles are willing to listen to offers. Schefter notes that the veteran wideout is not expected to be dealt but acknowledges that he is not completely untouchable.

Reading between the lines, it seems like the Eagles are testing the waters to see if they can get a sizable return for Brown, perhaps similar to the draft capital they sent to the Titans to acquire him in 2022. That is the theory posited by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who characterized Schefter’s report as a way for the Eagles to quietly solicit offers around the league. The most recent Brown report did indicate the Eagles are informing teams he is unavailable, but the defending Super Bowl champions are not exactly timid when it comes to trade talks.

Florio also mentioned the potential of a reunion between Brown and Mike Vrabel, his head coach in Tennessee who now holds the same job in New England. Vrabel did not want to let Brown leave the Titans in 2022, as captured during an awkward piece of mid-draft footage captured following the Round 1 swap. This helped put him at odds with team ownership and contributed to his eventual firing.

Indeed, the Eagles may not be actively shopping Brown around the league, but they may be open to the idea, if not in favor of it outright. Obviously, adding significant draft capital would be a boon for an Eagles front office that has hit on quite a few picks in recent years. A trade would also get Brown’s contract off the books and create more financial flexibility for future extensions.

Those benefits might outweigh what Brown brings to the Eagles offense right now. DeVonta Smith has been decidedly more productive this year, and Philadelphia’s run-heavy offense makes it difficult to consistently feed two top wideouts. But Brown has been heating up after his slow start in the first four games of the year.

Brown made six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, but in the other three matchups to open the year, he only recorded eight receptions and 42 yards. In October, however, Brown has gathered strength, culminating in a four-catch, 121-yard, two-touchdown outing in Week 7 against the Vikings.

Now, the Eagles might be in an interesting spot. Brown’s immediate value is skyrocketing right before the deadline, which could get them an appealing return in a trade. However, it would seem unwise for a team coming off a Super Bowl win with similar aspirations to return this year to deal such a talented wideout midseason, especially without much proven receiving depth on the roster. If anything, the current Brown trade talk feels like a precursor to a much more active market – both for Brown and other wide receivers – next offseason.

A.J. Brown-Eagles drama has quieted a bit, as the mercurial wide receiver came up big in the defending champions’ win in Minnesota, but his role in the offense remains a regular talking point despite the team’s success.

Other clubs have been monitoring this situation, and the Eagles are certainly not shy about wading into the trade market. Brown’s importance to this year’s team is obvious, but the Eagles also could fetch a big haul for one of the NFL’s best receivers. That is almost certain not to happen this year, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reporting Philadelphia has no plans to move Brown before the November 4 deadline.

Teams have called the Eagles, as they did in the offseason, continuing this as a talking point. Considering Philly’s standing and commitment to 2025 success — based on another active offseason — moving Brown before the deadline would be one of the most surprising deals in recent NFL history.

But the seventh-year player’s issues with his role — which cropped up before the team’s Week 5 game, seemingly keying a pass-heavy gameplan against Denver — are not likely to cease. If the Eagles continue down this path and hold onto their No. 1 target throughout the season, this storyline will undoubtedly produce more trade rumors entering the 2026 offseason.

At 51 targets through seven games, Brown is on pace for more than he drew last season (97). But a 123-target season (or something in that vicinity) would still check in far south of where the number was during the wideout’s more impressive 2022 and ’23 slates. Brown drew 145 looks in 2022 and 158 in ’23. A three-game injury absence and being rested in Week 18 reduced Brown’s 2024 total, making this season’s 123-target pace more in line with where he was on a per-game basis last season. The Eagles, though, have not seen Saquon Barkley closely approach his 2024 work yet. They have needed more from their passing attack than they did in 2024.

In Week 7, Philly saw Brown catch four passes for 121 yards and two scores. This came on a day when DeVonta Smith exploded for a nine-reception, 183-yard game. This remains a top-tier NFL receiving duo, albeit one that saw Barkley’s 2024 resurgence reduce its relevance. Barkley is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season, sitting at 369 yards after ripping off 2,005 in 16 games last year. If the Eagles’ run-game struggles — after making Barkley the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year RB — persist, more will be needed from Brown and Smith.

Brown’s three-year, $96MM extension runs through the 2029 season. As this is the Eagles, it is filled with option bonuses and void years. Brown’s 2026 compensation locked in after he remained on Philly’s roster this past March, but this rolling guarantee structure only includes a $4MM 2027 trigger if he is on the Eagles’ roster by Day 3 of the ’26 league year. That could extend this partnership for at least one more season, but the Eagles would certainly receive more value trading Brown ahead of an age-29 season in 2026 than when he turns 30 in ’27.

A WR-needy team likely would not be too intimidated by Brown’s near-$30MM guarantee in 2026, especially if he keeps proving himself as an upper-crust wideout. For now, the Eagles and Brown will need to keep working together. The Eagles’ losses to the Broncos and Giants notwithstanding, this remains one of the NFL’s best rosters. It can certainly improve before the November 4 deadline as well.

The A.J. Brown rumors are starting to heat up. Last week, we heard that the receiver was frustrated with his role in the Eagles offense, and that report was accompanied by a highly publicized meeting between Brown, Jalen Hurts, and Saquon Barkley. Following a second-straight Eagles loss, it sounds like the frustrations aren’t letting up.

While the Eagles have continually stated that they won’t trade Brown, multiple NFL executives told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that they believe the receiver will eventually be on the move. One source noted the player’s apparent indifference, which could be especially worrisome for a team that’s looking to go on a deep playoff run. Another source was more to the point, opining that the Eagles will ultimately deal the wideout because GM Howie Roseman “likes deals, especially if a player’s value overrides how Brown is being used.”

Brown actually had one of his most productive outings of the season in Week 6, finishing with six catches for 80 yards. After the loss, the veteran denied reports of a discussion with his offensive teammates, noting that he didn’t “recall a meeting” (per EJ Smith of PHLY Sports). Russini added more context, with sources claiming that the meeting wasn’t formal and was simply a “quick, honest check-in.” That could surely be taken as semantics, but either way, Brown didn’t seem particularly interested in discussing his chat.

Russini isn’t the only one noting that rival teams have their eye on the wideout. While Albert Breer of the MMQB acknowledges that this is just part of Philly’s plight while dealing with a “mercurial receiver,” he says there are teams currently monitoring the situation. One exec from an AFC contender said they expect Brown to be discussed in trade talks leading up to the deadline, especially since there doesn’t seem to be any resolution in sight.

On the flip side, Breer is skeptical if a trade will ever reach the finish line. The reporter believes the situation is manageable, at least for the 2025 campaign. Plus, teams may be a bit wary of acquiring the receiver considering his past knee issues and his hefty $29MM in guaranteed money for the 2026 season. Zach Berman of The Athletic echoes this sentiment, as the reporter expressed skepticism that Brown will ultimately be on the move. Berman notes that Roseman prefers to acquire players of Brown’s caliber, not trade them away. Plus, there’s optimism that Nick Sirianni will be able to manage all of the personalities.

In other words, it’s uncertain how this situation will ultimately play out. Either way, it will surely be a story to watch as we inch closer to the November 4th trade deadline.

A.J. Brown holds the Eagles’ single-season record for receiving yards, setting it in his first season with the team. The former Titans draftee is 2-for-2 in 1,000-yard years since, establishing himself as one of the greatest receivers in Eagles history. But Philly’s top target took a statistical step back last season — and he was not involved much in Week 1.

Saquon Barkley‘s arrival became a key factor in the Eagles shifting to a run-oriented offense, and Brown totaled 1,079 yards in 2024. That came after back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons. Brown’s step back did involve three missed games due to injury, but he finished with 97 targets — after 145- and 158-target seasons to open his Philly run.

Teams undoubtedly noticed the course change, even as it came following an offseason in which Brown signed a then-record $32MM-per-year extension. That deal ties Brown to the Eagles through 2029. With Philadelphia showing a continued interest in trades during Howie Roseman‘s second stint with full roster control, teams asked about Brown this offseason. Philly, however, shut down those inquiries, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Any trade involving Brown this past offseason would have needed to come after June 1. Otherwise, Philly would have taken on an untenable $59.8MM in dead money. By remaining on the Eagles’ roster as of Day 3 of the 2025 league year, Brown saw his $29MM in 2026 compensation become fully guaranteed. Much of that was tied up in an option bonus, a cap maneuver the Eagles have taken increasingly in recent years.

Because the rolling guarantee structure in Brown’s contract locked in his 2026 money early, the Pro Bowl wideout would tag the Eagles with more than $43MM in dead cap if he is moved before June 1 next year. A post-June 1 Brown trade in 2026, per OverTheCap, would mean a dead cap charge of more than $16MM.

Considering Brown’s form and the Eagles’ well-defined pass-game hierarchy, a trade was never especially realistic from an on-field standpoint either this year. The big-bodied pass catcher remains Philly’s top weapon, and the Eagles landed Brown after multiple early-round whiffs (JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Jalen Reagor) at the position. The team did hit on DeVonta Smith in 2021 and extended him early (in 2024), but the offense having Brown over the past three-plus seasons has elevated its place in the game.

This partnership has brought hiccups, as Brown drew some scrutiny — for a move some deemed passive-aggressive — by reading a book on the sideline during the Eagles’ wild-card win last season. A trade before his second Eagles extension wraps should certainly be considered in play for one of the NFL’s top trading teams, but the NFC East power is defending a Super Bowl title.

That status undoubtedly influenced the team to find a solution (via a pay cut) with Dallas Goedert, who emerged as an offseason trade candidate. Brown’s role in the Eagles’ now-Barkley-centered offense will be worth closely monitoring this season — especially after a one-catch, eight-year Week 1 outing — but no pre-deadline deal would be realistic this year.

A.J. Brown suffered a hamstring injury during Friday’s practice that sidelined him for tonight’s matchup with the Falcons. However, it’s sounding like the wide receiver may face more than a one-week absence.

Brown told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he expects to miss a couple of weeks while dealing with his hamstring issue (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The receiver clarified that the injury isn’t “too serious,” and it sounds like Brown isn’t expecting an IR stint.

The wideout didn’t miss a regular season game through his first two seasons in Philly, although he did miss last year’s playoff loss while dealing with a knee injury. The former Titans second-round pick has taken his game to another level with the Eagles, with Brown averaging 97 catches for 2,952 yards and nine touchdowns between his two campaigns.

DeVonta Smith will leap to the top of the depth chart with Brown sidelined, but the rest of the team’s receiving corps remains questionable. Jahan Dotson is expected to be the main beneficiary of Brown’s absence, but the Eagles could also look to the likes of Parris Campbell, Britain Covey, and sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson.