New A.J. Brown Trade Rumors as Eagles WR Absent from Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith Workouts

As the Philadelphia Eagles continue to install their new system under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, A.J. Brown could be nearing the end of his tenure with the organization as June 1 approaches.

Appearing on the Sunday morning edition of SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained that Jalen Hurts has been "throwing offsite" with some Eagles receivers, including DeVonta Smith, that Brown has not been present for:

"I'm hearing the two have hit it off, and Jalen Hurts likes how Sean Mannion structures the offense, how he talks about how they're going to attack things because it's going to look different. It's going to be more under center for Jalen Hurts, more play-action than he had done in the past. So, our sources have told us that he's at times been reluctant to some of those changes but right he's as open as he's ever been to some of those. He's also been throwing offsite with some of his receivers, DeVonta Smith, who's his new No. 1, new veteran Elijah Moore. He's been getting after it, trying to get ready for this new offense. Eagles are going to look a lot different in 2026."

Later in the segment, Fowler also elaborated on his note about Smith being Philadelphia's "new No. 1" receiver.

"You like how I slipped that in there? Let me put it this way, A.J. Brown's not at these workouts, so it's sort of understood right now," said Fowler.

It's been assumed for some time now that Brown will be traded after June 1 when his dead cap charge for the upcoming season drops significantly, making it more palatable for the Eagles to move on.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on April 20 that Brown was still on track to be traded to the New England Patriots post-June 1. The Eagles are only on the hook for a $16.4 million dead cap charge in 2026 if the star receiver is moved after that date, compared to $43.4 million if he were to be dealt prior to June 1.

If the Eagles aren't going to trade Brown, they are putting up an incredible smoke screen with all of their receiver additions. They signed Marquise Brown and Elijah Moore as free agents, traded for Dontayvion Wicks in a deal with the Green Bay Packers and traded up three spots in the first round of the draft to select Makai Lemon.

Brown would be an obvious fit for the Patriots, who need a No. 1 receiver after releasing Stefon Diggs in March. They did sign Romeo Doubs in free agency, but that's been their only major pass-catching addition of the offseason so far.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel previously coached Brown for three seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to '21. The 28-year-old has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in six of his first seven NFL seasons.