AJ Brown had his knee drained twice a week throughout the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run, before games, and even right before Super Bowl LIX itself. Brown had revealed on Pardon My Take in August 2025 that he had played through the pain. That kind of information has a way of showing up when trade talks begin in earnest.

The Los Angeles Rams found that out. According to NBC’s Mike Florio, LA was deep enough in discussions with Philly that they were simultaneously exploring a Davante Adams trade to make the numbers work. But then the preliminary medical review came back.

“They got scared off by some of the, as I’m told, preliminary medical research,” Florio said this week. “They decided too much of an investment for a player at this age, general wear and tear, you know, ‘we’re not going to do it.’ But they were lining it all up. So if they get A.J. Brown, they trade Davante Adams. They were looking for a trade partnership.”

AJ Brown finished 2025 with 78 catches, 1,003 yards, and seven touchdowns, numbers that should move markets. The Eagles’ asking price was a 2026 first and second-round pick along with a player. But per insider Josina Anderson, Philly was also okay with accepting a 2027 first-rounder with a 2026 second-rounder as an alternative.

The Rams had a hard deadline in the meantime. Adams’ fully guaranteed $6 million roster bonus was due on March 15. They didn’t make it, Adams got his bonus, and the trade died. While there was still a chance for Brown to go to the Rams, his knee got in the way.

Florio didn’t share details of the specific findings from the Rams’ medical research. But Brown’s file has real content. Having his knee drained biweekly and still playing through the 2024 postseason was perhaps the biggest concern around Brown. But there’s even more.

Knee and hamstring issues have been almost a companion in AJ Brown’s NFL career. He has missed three games with knee injuries and hamstring issues in 2024. Interestingly, Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane tied a 2025 flare-up to “scar tissue” from earlier injuries.

AJ Brown turns 29 this June. For a Rams team that had already spent a first-round pick on cornerback Trent McDuffie, flagging another premium asset on uncertain mileage didn’t add up.

The Baltimore Ravens walked the same road with Maxx Crosby. Baltimore agreed to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for their All-Pro edge rusher. But then they backed out after his physical flagged the long-term health of his surgically repaired left knee (a torn meniscus he played through for most of 2025). Even for two first-rounders, the long-term risk didn’t pencil out. The Eagles are now finding out what that means for their own leverage.

Philadelphia WR room reshuffles around AJ Brown

The Eagles didn’t sit still. While trade conversations cooled, Philly signed Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a one-year deal worth up to $6.5 million. The former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver had posted 49 receptions, 587 yards, and five touchdowns in 2025. Capable depth, but not really a difference maker.

But calling this a depth addition misses the point. The Eagles already have DeVonta Smith to carry the aerial offense. You don’t sign a former first-round pick like Hollywood Brown on a prove-it deal unless you’re hedging against an outcome you won’t say out loud. This almost looks like general manager Howie Roseman quietly building for a roster that doesn’t feature the talents of AJ Brown.

The Rams aren’t parting ways with Davante Adams now that they owe him an $18 million base salary in 2026. They’ve also got Puka Nacua to keep quarterback Matthew Stafford’s MVP dominance going. The New England Patriots were also circling at one point for AJ Brown, but they got deterred by the Eagles’ asking price.

Now that the trade market has narrowed even further with this knee concern, a June 1 deadline offers the best escape route. A post-June 1 trade can save Philly $7 million in cap space in 2026 alone, while absorbing around $16 million in dead money. All they need now is a buyer willing to make the call.

What Philly has is a receiver room built around ambiguity. Smith is the constant; Hollywood Brown is the contingency plan. AJ Brown is the expensive question mark: 1,000 yards last season, medically flagged this offseason, and still very much an Eagle.