What's going to happen with A.J. Brown? Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni chime in originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman were asked the same question: Will A.J. Brown be back with the Eagles in 2026?
Neither said no. But neither said yes.
If anything the situation seems even more muddled now than before.
Sirianni and Roseman both met with the media at the Jefferson Health Training Center leading up to the Combine in Indianapolis and both spoke glowingly about Brown, but neither was reassuring about Brown’s future with the Eagles.
Roseman wouldn’t rule out listening to trade offers for the six-time 1,000-yard receiver, although he also said he never rules out listening to any offers. Essentially, nobody is untouchable if you’re getting enough in return.
“I don’t think you can go into any conversation with anyone and just shoot things down without hearing what they have to say, because you never know,” Roseman said. “You never know if someone is going to give you something that you didn’t anticipate and if you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team that you’re with. You never know what someone’s willing to do.
“And certainly we’ve been in situations where there are guys that we didn’t anticipate trading that we got an offer (for) that was too good, and then you balance it with what you can get there. So without getting into specifics on any player, we’re always listening, and we’re always kind of open. There’s very few things that I would shoot down without even hearing what that means, because how does it hurt to listen?”
It’s a sensible, reasoned response, but it’s not, “We’re not trading A.J,” which he certainly could have said.
As for Sirianni, he said he expects Brown to be here in 2026 but also said you never really know what the future holds.
“My expectation is he wants to be here. And, obviously, you always you want good players like that in your building,” he said.
“Will A.J. be here next season? I mean, I think that we’re still in a spot like I can’t guarantee how anything’s going to play out into the next season. I can’t guarantee that. I mean, I was thinking I’m going to be the head coach next season, but it’s like you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow.”
Sirianni was asked if he wishes Brown handled things differently last year, when it was clear he let his frustrations affect him on the field, culminating in a disastrous performance against the 49ers in the wild-card loss.
But he wouldn’t go there.
“You guys know me,” he said. “I’m not gonna say, ‘Hey here’s what I thought this player should have done.’ Just know I’m always communicating with our guys, whether it’s something on or off the field that’s going on and we’re always in constant communication about it and because I think where you get in trouble is when the job description is not clear. That’s on and off the field of what you’re expecting in different things.
“But I’ll never get into, ‘Hey, this is what I think should have happened,’ or that. Because I’m always going to keep those things in-house and handle those things in-house.
“As Howie said, it’s hard to get good players in this league. A.J. is a great player and A.J. is a good teammate and A.J. is a good person. And so, like I said earlier, yeah, does he want to be here? Yes. And do I want him to be here? Yes. So, you know, hopefully that works out.”
Trading Brown would leave the Eagles without a second proven wide receiver alongside DeVonta Smith and also deliver Roseman an unwieldy cap hit.
But it would also bring back assets the Eagles could use to draft or sign a replacement.
Brown is one of only 11 players in NFL history with six 1,000-yard seasons in his first seven years in the league. Along with Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Torry Holt and Mike Evans, he’s one of only six players with 8,000 receiving yards, 50 touchdowns and 15 yards per catch after seven years.
“I’d go back to what I said at the end of the season,” Roseman said. “It’s really hard to find great players. I think A.J. is a great player. We’re looking to improve in all areas, and you don’t do that by subtracting.”