AJ Brown's future with the Eagles grows uncertain as performance questions and contract realities collide for the rest of the season
he AJ Brown trade back in 2022 was transformative for the Philadelphia Eagles. The star wide receiver helped consolidate Jalen Hurts as a viable franchise quarterback and was a key part of the Super Bowl team last season. But 2025 has been a tough year for the receiver, and for the Eagles’ passing offense in general.
Like never before, there have been rumors about Brown’s future in Philly. Fans might not want to hear it, but general manager Howie Roseman is always looking at all of his possibilities. And moving on from AJ Brown next offseason shouldn’t be completely off the table.
Brown signed a three-year extension with the Eagles last year, so it’s unrealistic for them to release him — and, all things considered, Roseman wouldn’t do it anyway. The dead money would be $72.4 million, which could be split in two years with a post-June 1 designation.
But a trade makes the situation more palatable. If AJ Brown were traded before June next year, the dead money would be $43.4 million. The team would lose $20.055 million in cap space, so you could think this is certainly a bad deal. However, the trade would clear up $22.672 million in 2027, $27.555 million in 2028, $29.307 million in 2029, and, wait for it, $53.52 million in 2030, which is a void year for his contract.
Because of age and contract, Brown isn’t as valuable now as he was when the Eagles acquired him from the Tennessee Titans. Nevertheless, the veteran receiver is slated to make a reasonable $21 million next season, $21 million in 2027, $32 million in 2028, and $31 million in 2029. His 2026 compensation is fully guaranteed by now, but there are only $4 million becoming fully-guaranteed for 2027 on the third league day of 2026.
That means the Eagles could still generate, let’s say, a Day 2 pick in return. The combination of extra draft capital, extra cap space, and more targets to Devonta Smith doesn’t sound like such a crazy plan.
Performance
Be it for circumstances or because of his individual play, AJ Brown has regressed. At 28, he’s had 38 receptions for 457 yards and three touchdowns so far this season.
Going beyond to analyze the advanced stats, Brown has had a career low 1.59 yards per route run, career low 96.9 passer rating when targeted, and 11.9 in average depth of target (second worst number of his career).
The Eagles are obviously competing for a Super Bowl this year, so this is a conversation that will only take place later on. But AJ Brown must have this understanding, because the next seven games and whatever he does in the playoffs will likely determine his future as an Eagle.
Celtics beat Nets to move above .500 for the 1st time this season
Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, Payton Pritchard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-99 on Tuesday night to move above .500 for the first time this season.
Derrick White added 15 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight game to improve to 8-7. They played the Nets even for about three quarters before smothering them defensively in the fourth, allowing just one basket for the first 10 minutes of the period.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points for the Nets, his career-best seventh straight game with at least 20. But after his 3-pointer gave Brooklyn a 90-89 lead with 9:08 left, the Nets didn’t make another basket until 1:56 remained.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points for the Nets, who fell to 2-12 overall and 0-7 at home.
The Celtics started the season 0-3 and then won their next three. They dropped the next two games and hadn’t gotten their record back to even again until beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Porter had 18 points at halftime and Pritchard scored 17. The teams combined for 22 2-pointers and 21 3-pointers in the first half, which ended with Boston leading 62-61.
The Celtics opened their first double-digit cushion when Brown followed a three-point play with a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 burst and make it 75-65 with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the third. Brooklyn cut it to one late in the period before Brown made another 3-pointer to send the Celtics to the fourth with an 89-85 edge.
With the Celtics leading 97-92, they chased down three missed shots on one possession to set up White’s 3-pointer. After a Brooklyn free throw, he made another 3 to make it 103-93. Brown’s 3 with 2:55 left capped an 18-3 run to make it 107-93.
