A.J. Brown Trade Discussed by Eagles GM, Howie Roseman Calls Blockbuster with Patriots a 'Win-Win'

The Philadelphia Eagles trade star wideout A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, providing closure to a divorce that has been brewing since midway through the 2025 season.

Following the deal, general manager Howie Roseman broke down the decision from Philly's perspective.

"I think that when we looked at the totality of the circumstances and having the conversations we had with him, felt like where we were, where we were going, where he was, that if we could find something that kind of achieved our goals of getting a first-round pick going forward here in the near future, getting the money back to spend on other players on our team and other teams, and it was a win-win situation based on where he was and how he felt, we were open to that," he told reporters.

Roseman added that the two parties ended on good terms.

"You can have a really good run with somebody, and just feel like, 'Hey, the next stage of my career, I feel like it will be better served, kind of starting fresh'," he told reporters. "The conversations with him overall were positive and just honest conversations, and I think it just kind of got to a point where it made some sense from both sides."

The Eagles didn't seem to be clamoring for a trade, but Brown was clearly unhappy with his role in the offense and didn't seem to be enjoying his football in 2025. The Birds, meanwhile, made a number of moves to address the receiver position, drafting Makai Lemon in the first round, trading for Dontayvion Wicks and signing Hollywood Brown.

That made it feel inevitable that a divorce was coming, though the Eagles wanted to wait before pulling the trigger, as a post-June 1 trade allowed them to spread out Brown's dead cap hit across two seasons.

There was also some grumbling in Philadelphia about the first-rounder coming in 2028, not 2027, but Roseman was confident that having that extra asset in 2028 would be beneficial.

"I think from our perspective, getting a first-round pick for our team, having two first-round picks in 2028 is a huge, huge part of this move. I think that when you look at that and obviously the options of what you're able to do with having multiple first-round picks, it's a huge game-changer, and feel very, very confident that those picks are the most valuable things that you can add as you're building your team," he said. "I know there's a lot of attention on the 2027 draft, but at the same time, looking at the 2028 draft, I feel confident that that's going to be a good draft as well, and that we'll be in position to really improve our football team."

Brown, 28, caught 339 passes for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns during his four seasons with the Eagles, going to two Super Bowls and winning one. He was a two-time Pro Bowler in Philly and a favorite target of Jalen Hurts.

But the Eagles grew incredibly stale on offense in 2025 and that trickled down to Brown's route tree, which was disproportionately composed of go routes and hitches. The hope is that new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will reverse that trend.

But Brown isn't sticking around to find out. He'll now be Drake Maye's top target in New England, while the Eagles will hope DeVonta Smith is ready to be a true No. 1 option.