Even going on over two weeks after it happened, everyone is still talking about the Philadelphia Eagles trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in exchange for two draft picks, including a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick.
It was a necessary trade for the Eagles to move on from Brown so that they could get away from the drama and focus on the future. One NFL executive, though, told ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler that he had concerns about the trade from the Eagles' perspective.
"One evaluator finds it a necessary trade for the Eagles but not a resounding win for the franchise. 'I get why they did it, and they got the best return they could, but it's hard to see where this trade makes them better,' an AFC executive said."
Are the Eagles actually worse off after the A.J. Brown trade?
Yes. The simple answer is yes.
Of course, the Eagles are worse off without Brown, who's one of the top-10 wide receivers in the NFL, so this offense hasn't gotten better with the move. In the short term, the Eagles lose a massive weapon in this offense who had racked up over 5,000 yards over four years with the franchise and never missed the 1,000-yard mark.
The Eagles decided to roll with an unproven rookie in Makai Lemon and an underlooked receiver in Dontayvion Wicks to try to replace Brown. Lemon and Wicks haven't shown they can get the job done in Brown's place. Yet.
Looking long-term, though, the Eagles will be okay and can move forward without him. Lemon has the potential to be great, and Wicks just really needs to be a goal-line threat for Philly and doesn't have to be a 1,000-yard receiver.
One great thing about Brown being gone is that there's less drama in Philadelphia now. There won't be any more cryptic tweets or public calls out of the team. The Eagles can just keep everything in-house and focus on improving each day without the media in their faces.
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If Eagles fans really think about it, this franchise did get worse without Brown, and that should concern them for the 2026 season. Once the team gets through this tough transition period, though, they will look better on the other side of this trade with two extra draft picks that can make a world of difference.
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