Eagles WR A.J. Brown Gets Clear Message From Owner Jeffrey Lurie
The Philadelphia Eagles are heading toward the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4 with a lot of questions surrounding the immediate future of disgruntled star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who continues to express his discontent with the role he’s playing with the team during the 2025 campaign.
Brown has let his feelings be known publicly and, at times, cryptically, leading some to wonder whether the Eagles will grow tired of his act and trade him. The star wideout’s value will never be higher, and it could be argued that the storied franchise should look into trading him ahead of the deadline.
However, the team seems to be adamant about holding onto the 28-year-old wide receiver, with a little more than a week to go before the NFL trade deadline.
Eagles Owner Sends Clear Message on A.J. Brown Trade Rumors
GettyA.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Brown forces the Eagles to trade him or at least ask the team to move him before the deadline on Nov. 4. Team owner Jeffrey Lurie was recently asked by Dianna Russini of The Athletic what he would do if Brown came to him to ask him to be traded.
“We do what’s best for the team,” he said. “We don’t even consider it seriously unless it’s best for the Eagles. We will always do what gives us the best chance of winning big. Everything else is secondary.”
This seems like a typical response from a team owner and someone who makes these kinds of big decisions with star players every year.
However, Lurie didn’t exactly say no, so there’s a chance a deal comes to fruition before the NFL trade deadline.
Should Eagles Consider Trading A.J. Brown?
Title-contending teams in the NFL have little room for error over the course of the season, as they need as many things to go smoothly as possible. That said, disgruntled star players are something that these title contenders never want to deal with, but that’s what the Eagles have with Brown.
With head coach Nick Sirianni, general manager Howie Roseman and Lurie running a tight ship in Philadelphia, it is a bit surprising they aren’t urgently trying to figure out how to eliminate this locker-room distraction.
“We encourage it. We want different personalities,” Lurie said. “Sometimes, in trades or in free agency, we’ll bring people in that complement those that we have. They’re different on purpose. We don’t want sameness.”
Lurie was also asked about why the Eagles franchise always seems to have some conflict during the NFL season.
“It’s not conflict. It’s intensity,” Lurie said. “The players respect it. I like intensity. The players are intense. Howie’s intense, I’m intense, the coach is intense. Every week, every situation, we approach it with intensity.”
It’ll be interesting to see what the Eagles do ahead of the NFL trade deadline: whether they move Brown or keep pushing forward with the current squad in hopes of pulling off the repeat.
Bears Get More Bad News on Kyler Gordon Before Ravens Game
The situation with cornerback Kyler Gordon has gone from bad to worse for the Chicago Bears ahead of Week 8’s road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Gordon popped up on the injury report Thursday after injuring both his groin and calf in practice and spending the day’s session as a limited participant. The Bears then held him out entirely from Friday’s walkthrough before ruling him out for Week 8’s game.
Things grew worse Saturday when the Bears officially placed Gordon on the injured reserve list, meaning he will miss at least the next four games for Chicago’s defense.
The Bears will now play at least their next four games — including Sunday’s road game against the Ravens — without two of their top cornerbacks. Pro Bowl starter Jaylon Johnson underwent core-muscle surgery in September and is out indefinitely on IR.
The Bears also won’t have their other perimeter starter, Tyrique Stevenson, available against the Ravens. Stevenson injured his shoulder early in Week 7’s win over the New Orleans Saints and sat out every practice this week before the team ruled him out.
The Bears (4-2) will kick off against the Ravens (1-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Losing Kyler Gordon Could Cripple Bears’ CB Room
With Gordon now out for a minimum of four games, the Bears are severely depleted at the cornerback position because of injuries and could remain that way for some time, depending on how much time Stevenson winds up missing with his shoulder injury.
The Bears will count Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud and Josh Blackwell as their top three cornerbacks when they face the Ravens on Sunday. They will also have Jaylon Jones and practice-squad elevation Dallis Flowers available as backups, though the lack of high-level playing experience across the board raises some alarm bells for them.
On the plus side, the Bears won’t have to deal with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson after the Ravens announced Saturday that he will miss his third straight game with his hamstring injury. The Ravens will start backup Tyler Huntley (11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 career games) in his place — a better matchup for Chicago.
Even still, the sudden depletion of depth could force the Bears to consider their options for improving their cornerback room — such as signing a vet — in the coming weeks.
Bears Also Shut Down Braxton Jones With Knee Injury
Gordon is not the only Bear who landed on injured reserve before Week 8’s game.
The Bears also placed offensive tackle Braxton Jones on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice before the team downgraded him to a non-participant for the final two sessions to close out the week.
Jones lost his job as the Bears’ starting left tackle when the team benched him for Theo Benedet midway through Week 4’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he still provided the Bears with valuable depth and experience at the position before his new injury.
The injury is also likely to diminish — if not completely wipe out — any trade interest Jones may have garnered before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
In a corresponding roster move, the Bears signed defensive tackle Jonathan Ford from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after elevating him in each of their past three games. Ford has played 36 defensive snaps this season, but he is less likely to see any playing time now that veteran Grady Jarrett (knee) has been cleared to play again.
