There’s really only one question hovering over Philadelphia this offseason: Will A.J. Brown be back in 2026? Right now, there isn’t a clear answer. When general manager Howie Roseman was pressed about Brown’s future, he didn’t shut the door on a return. But he also made it clear that the Eagles operate with an open phone line, though with a layer of nuance attached to that stance.

“I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything,” Roseman said. “If someone is going to give you something you didn’t anticipate and you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team you’re with. You never know what someone is willing to do.

“…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?”

The message is straightforward: the Eagles aren’t actively shopping Brown. But they’re not declaring him untouchable either. And the context matters. For much of his tenure, Brown has called Philadelphia his “home” and said he felt “fortunate” to be a leader within the offense.

Still, that hasn’t erased the frustration that bubbled up during the first half of the 2025 season. Brown made headlines on a livestream when he described things as a “s***show” outside of his family. Later, he publicly challenged the offense’s overall performance, not just his role in it.

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“It’s not just solely about my situation. I want to win, too,” he said back in November 2025. “I think if we’re really focused on winning and doing our job, 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?

“That’s what I’m getting at. It’s not about, ‘I don’t care about winning, all I care about is stats.’ No. It’s been week after week sometimes we’re not doing our job on offense. You can’t keep slapping a Band-Aid over that and expect to win late in the year and think you’re going to go to that at the end of the year. It’s not going to f—ing happen.”

Those comments followed a Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers in which Brown saw just three targets. Statistically, he still delivered: 78 catches, 1,003 yards, and seven touchdowns in 2025. But numbers alone didn’t quiet the noise.

When the Eagles’ offense stalled again in the Wild-Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, trade speculation intensified. Roseman hasn’t said he’s looking to move Brown. What he has said is that he’ll listen. Head coach Nick Sirianni has addressed the situation as well, but like Roseman, he hasn’t offered a definitive answer either.

Nick Sirianni wants A.J. Brown back, but he isn’t sure about the possibility

We haven’t heard much from A.J. Brown about his own future in Philadelphia. For one, he avoided league-mandated locker room sessions during the final month of the regular season. And while he has appeared on podcasts, his comments have largely been limited to general positive sentiments about Philly. Naturally, that shifted attention to Nick Sirianni for clarity. But the head coach didn’t provide a firm answer either.

“I can’t guarantee how anything’s going to play out into the next season,” Sirianni said. “I can’t guarantee that, I mean, I’m thinking I’m going to be the head coach season, but it’s like, you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow. Like Howie said, right, everybody is…it’s hard to get good players in this league. AJ’s a great player. And AJ’s a good teammate, and AJ’s a good person. And so, like I said earlier…Does he want to be here? Yes…Do I want him to be here? Yes. So, you know, hopefully that works.”

As things stand, both outcomes remain in play. Brown is signed through 2029 after agreeing to a three-year, $96 million extension in 2024. But if Roseman and Sirianni decide to explore a trade, the financial side becomes relevant.

The Eagles would take on more than $40 million in dead cap if they move Brown before June 1, compared to under $20 million if a deal happens after that date. Any acquiring team would assume his $29 million salary in 2026 and roughly $4 million in guaranteed money in 2027, per the Roster Management System.

For now, the situation remains open-ended. Neither Sirianni nor Roseman has given a definitive answer on whether Brown will return in 2026.