It certainly feels as though the only topic of discussion within the Philadelphia Eagles rumor mill is all about wide receiver A.J. Brown and what his future holds.
Brown had a very newsworthy year in Philadelphia, with cryptic posts, criticism on a live stream, a confrontation with his head coach, and not speaking to the media after their playoff loss. Now, the latest report is that Brown asked to be traded as early as after their Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
This has left many to start sharing their predictions in the offseason about where Brown will be, whether that is him staying in Philadelphia or going elsewhere, like the New England Patriots, to reunite with his old coach, Mike Vrabel. There is one prediction that might have more traction, and it comes from a powerful group of people.
NFL executives make bold prediction about A.J. Brown that could work for Eagles
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote an article on what bold predictions executives around the NFL had on the offseason. NFL executives like Brown being traded to the Buffalo Bills, and Fowler added that a trade could actually help the Eagles financially.
"Brown's happy-to-be-here quotient in Philly is miserably low. He's a great player and great players are hard to replace. But the Eagles have never been scared to make a move due to the salary cap implications. The Eagles actually can save $7 million on the cap by trading Brown after June 1.
And it feels like it's time. Some league execs have felt that way since October.
'The Bills have to upgrade there -- their best receiver is Khalil Shakir, who is a nice player but he's not a top guy,' an NFL personnel evaluator said. 'Brown is an immediate upgrade and he's still young [turning 29 in June]. And the Eagles can build the passing game around DeVonta Smith and a high draft pick.'"
All the talk has been that the Eagles are holding back on a Brown trade because of the financial implications of such a move. Philly is looking at a dead cap of $72 million in 2026 with Brown, so while they could save $7 million under the salary cap, that doesn't erase the dead cap they're facing.
This is also a bummer for Eagles fans, as it means Philly would be better off waiting until after the draft to trade Brown for 2027 draft picks. That might hurt them short-term unless they knock it out of the park at the 2026 NFL Draft.
Read more: NFL reporter confirmed what Eagles fans suspected about $10 million star's future
It certainly feels like everyone expects the Eagles to trade away Brown, so it might just mean more about when Philly will pull the trigger on a deal.