Updated NFL Rumors and New Predictions for A.J. Brown, Top Trade Candidates

The NFL's upcoming Divisional Round should be a thrill ride from start to finish.

That doesn't mean all corners of the football world will be keeping close tabs on it.

That's because the eight franchises not fortunate enough to participate this weekend are in offseason mode. Draft plans are coming more into picture. Free-agency paths are being plotted. And the trade market is starting to rumble with...well, rumblings about what could (or could not) come next.

We're digging into the latest discussions and predicting what they'll mean here.

Eagles Keeping A.J. Brown?

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The Philadelphia Eagles saw their title-defense hopes extinguished during a Wild-Card loss to the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers. Philly's offensive malfunctions—it ranked 19th in scoring during the regular season and landed shy of its average with a 19-point showing in its playoff loss—already cost coordinator Kevin Patullo his job and could seemingly spark additional changes.

Like a trade involving star receiver A.J. Brown perhaps? His frustrations have boiled over at times, and he has played a part in that offensive inconsistency (he had just three receptions and multiple drops in the Wild-Card loss). It doesn't feel impossible to picture a trade out of town; it just also doesn't sound like that's the Eagles' plan.

"It's hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J.'s a great player," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told reporters. "That's what we're going out and looking for, when we go out in free agency and the draft, is trying to find great players who love football, and he's that guy."

Granted, this could be posturing, since the Eagles would gain nothing by publicly discussing their willingness to move one of their best players. Still, it sounds like more than that. Maybe Brown won't be a Philly Lifer, but this isn't a great time to move him. It would be a financial nightmare, and it's hard to imagine his trade value is peaking.

Prediction: Brown stays with the Eagles.

Browns Unlikely To Trade for Mac Jones?

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The Cleveland Browns need to find a quarterback. That's about the coldest take you can find in the football world. They played three different passers this season—Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders—and they all had a hand in Cleveland getting some of the league's worst quarterback play: last in completion percentage and passer rating, 31st in passing yards.

You'd think, then, that the Browns might be the most aggressive signal-caller-searcher this offseason. You might also assume, then, they'd have a hefty trade offer in hand for Mac Jones, who has dazzled in a reserve role behind Brock Purdy. Jones went 5-3 as a starter while completing 69.6 percent of his passes and throwing for 13 touchdowns against six interceptions.

But The Athletic's Zac Jackson dubbed a quarterback trade as "less likely" for the Browns than giving Sanders another shot and perhaps having him compete with a rookie quarterback taken "in the middle rounds of the draft." Cleveland would then go with a "full-throttle chase in early 2027."

Huge help problem isn't coming in Cleveland, in other words, but a Jones deal could definitely get done with someone else. He looks deserving of another chance to be a full-time starter, and he might be more valuable to the 49ers as a trade chip than he has as an insurance plan behind Purdy.

Prediction: Browns take their quarterback search into 2027; Jones gets traded to the Miami Dolphins.

Maxx Crosby Leaving Las Vegas?

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If it was up to Maxx Crosby, the five-time Pro Bowler would "retire as a Raider." But this might not be his call to make.

Crosby's future in Las Vegas is "being questioned around the league," and many believe "Las Vegas will be open to moving its star pass rusher if the relationship remains at an impasse," per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Crosby and the club didn't see eye-to-eye on its decision to shut him down early this season, which is part of the reason his name reached the rumor mill. It just doesn't feel like the primary one.

The Raiders appear on the cusp of another top-to-bottom overhaul. They have all of seven wins to show for the last two seasons, need another new coach and are holding onto the No. 1 pick. As good as Crosby is, Las Vegas might want to take the long view here and flip the 28-year-old for some prime draft assets.

Prediction: Crosby gets traded to the Washington Commanders.