With the 2026 NFL Combine rolling, media outlets and NFL executives have wall-to-wall interviews discussing the future of their franchises, and for the Philadelphia Eagles, one "hot topic" going into the 2026 NFL season is the future of star wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Pro Football Focus recently took on several "budding" storylines, including Brown's future. PFF's Dalton Wasserman believes that after several years with the franchise, Brown will still be an Eagle come this fall.
"Head coach Nick Sirianni said he 'can’t guarantee' that Brown, who earned a career-low 80.9 PFF overall grade in 2025, will be on the team’s roster next season. While offers will certainly be made, Philadelphia will have a hard time improving its offense in 2026 without Brown in the fold. A trade would also leave the team with a hefty amount of dead money on the salary cap. The best option for the Eagles is to patch things up with Brown internally and see if new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion can reignite the offense."
PFF is selling that Brown is not coming back to Eagles in 2026
In addition to the possibility of bringing cancer to another NFL franchise, Brown, who is coming off a contract extension, could hinder the Eagles due to the large amount of "dead money" on his contract that will count against the salary cap.
It's no secret that Brown is extremely talented despite all the exterior factors that may distract from his play on the field. While PFF believes it would behoove the Eagles to keep him, history shows that trades can happen out of nowhere (see 2022 NFL Draft).
With the Eagles in an offensive transition from Kevin Patullo to Sean Mannion, having one of the NFL's most talented receivers would be a nice addition, especially as questions swirl around the franchise's competence.
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Between the talent, the financials, and the offensive transition, keeping Brown around seems to be the most effective option moving forward. Regardless, the relationship between Brown and the Eagles is certainly strained, and moving forward, both parties need to find common ground if the Eagles hope to be a Super Bowl contender in 2026.