During the 2022 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans, giving up the 18th and 101st picks. Since then, the Eagles have enjoyed a lot of success, including two Super Bowl appearances. However, as the 2026 season approaches, A.J. Brown seems ready to leave the Eagles, a decision that veteran sports analyst Stephen A. Smith is not happy about.

“It makes no sense,” said Smith on ESPN’s First Take. “What the hell is going on?… I’ve never seen an all-worldwide receiver appear to want out so consistently, so demonstratively, you understand, as a guy like AJ Brown when you have a quarterback like Jalen Hurts, ultimately that has to come back to him.”

Smith seems particularly disappointed with A.J. Brown‘s reasoning behind the trade call. Notably, Brown was frustrated with the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. He even had a public feud with coach Nick Sirianni on the sidelines during the Eagles’ playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers in January 2026.

Brown has been consistent for Philly since moving to the team. He has consistently racked up over 1000 receiving yards and at least seven touchdowns in each season. While his credibility as a player gets highlighted, it also showcases how elite the Eagles’ quarterback, Jalen Hurts’s performance was.

To be precise, Hurts and Brown both played a key role in the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl victory, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. Despite the evident strong camaraderie, this is not the first time Brown has looked for a move away from Philadelphia.

The 28-year-old wide receiver has been linked to make a move to the Patriots after June 1, where he will join one of his familiar faces.

When A.J. Brown was first drafted in 2019, the Tennessee Titans picked him. And during that time, the current head coach of the Patriots, Mike Vrabel, held the same position. Under Vrabel, Brown recorded over 1000 receiving yards in the first two seasons and built a mutual friendship over the years.

“[Vrabel] holds every single player accountable from top to bottom. I don’t care who it is,” said Brown about his former coach on Dudes on Dudes podcast in February 2026. “That’s who he is, and it makes the team come together because nobody’s bigger than the program.”

So, for him to wish for a move to the Patriots could be a viable option. However, a former Eagles star doesn’t believe it would be good for the franchise.

LeSean McCoy claims trading A.J. Brown would be a “mistake”

Despite the reports, GM Howie Roseman asserted confidence to keep the 28-year-old WR on the team for the upcoming season. But when the reports of his links to the New England Patriots came out, it only raised concerns.

According to former running back of the Eagles, LeSean McCoy, this move could significantly hamper the Philadelphia-based team.

“They think the grass is greener on the other side, [but] I don’t think it is,” said McCoy on the “Speakeasy” show on Monday. “People still gameplan for him [Brown], and maybe his stats don’t show it all the time… Since Brown has come to the Eagles, everything has been better… When he’s gone, it’s gonna be different, and I don’t wanna see that.”

Citing the Eagles’ graph after Brown’s inclusion, McCoy does not see the trade move as a positive outcome for Philly. Amid that, GM Roseman and the Eagles have already made a few signings in the WR department.

Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, and Dontayvion Wicks are the names that could be seen in that department. So, this eventually implies that even though the Eagles are confident about keeping A.J. in the squad, they have backups if things go south. On top of that, it will be interesting to see if the Eagles make more additions to the offense in the 2026 NFL Draft.