Could the Eagles actually trade their best playmaker? Well, since Philly’s Wild Card game against the SF 49ers, rumors have been swirling about A.J. Brown’s future. While fans might be quick to suggest new teams for the star, the reality is much more complicated than just a disagreement on the sidelines. Like always, Spotrac did the math. From the looks of it, trading Brown might be nearly impossible for the Eagles to do right now unless they’ve $20 million lying around somewhere. 

“Before you hop on a mic & start spitballing A.J. Brown’s next team,” Spotrac tweeted. “A Pre 6/1 trade means the #Eagles would be taking on the 4th largest single-season dead cap hit in history – & a $20M cap bath.”

Given how an NFL contract works, trading a player (especially the one signed in a lucrative $96 million contract for three years) results in huge dead cap money. If the Eagles trade Brown behind the June 1 deadline, the financial hit will be historic, creating a dead cap of $43.5 million. This means the Eagles would be paying an extra $20 million just to NOT have Brown on the team. 

Historically, this would be the 4th largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history. Things may be sour between him and the coaching staff (as witnessed by all), but he’s certainly not a drain on their pockets. He still managed to put 1,003 yards and 78 receptions on the wall. 

However, there might be a way out for San Francisco. General Manager Howie Roseman can choose to wait until after June 1 to trade him. This way, the dead cap hit can be spread out over two years, saving $7 million in 2026. Catch? They wouldn’t get any 2026 draft picks in return, as the draft happens in April.

It all depends on head coach Nick Sirianni for a reconciliation with Brown. The two were seen sharing a tense moment on the sideline against the Niners Wild Card game captured by the FOX broadcast. It happened late in the second quarter after a third-down pass intended for Brown fell incomplete (marking his second drop in a row). Sirianni was literally sprinting down the sideline to confront the star receiver. 

He was urgently trying to get Brown off the field to avoid a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty, as the punt team was already rushing out. However, Brown didn’t like the way he was spoken to, leading to a public spat. The argument between them became so intense that the team’s chief security officer, Dom DiSandro, had to step in to separate the two.

Sirianni tried to reduce the damage by dismissing any idea of a rift. He told FOX reporter Erin Andrews that such scenes were rather common between him and Brown in games where “emotions run high.” However, this isn’t the first time a controversy has involved Brown’s name. 

A.J. Brown’s controversial history with the Eagles 

Things fell off with the reigning Super Bowl champion throughout this season, and Brown made sure everyone knew it. Throughout the season, the three-time All-Pro voiced his frustration with the offense. He even called them a “s***show” despite Philly’s 7-2 record in mid-November. His production was a big topic of discussion by then, logging just 408 yards till then. He had four weeks where he didn’t record even 30 yards and zero touchdowns. 

“It’s not just solely about my situation. I want to win, too,” said Brown back in November. “We can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense?”

It’s not just this season. In 2024, he refused to speak to reporters after two different games. One of those was a painful loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Later, he explained his silence with a painful pinch. 

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“I was raised that if I have nothing nice to say, I’m not going to say nothing at all,” he later said. “So I’m not just about to compound the negative with the negative so you guys can write more negative stuff.”

Yet, all these times, Sirianni stepped in as the peacekeeper, dismissing rumors about any “divide” in the locker room. After his “s***show” comment, it was the head coach who assured that Brown is “all in.” This latest altercation was another heat-of-the-moment thing. He even defended Brown for his big drops in the Wild Card game, calling them natural considering the high number of targets Brown receives. Perhaps, he might be the reason the Browns don’t suffer a financial breakdown.