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We Can Be as Mad as We Want, But A.J. Brown is Going to be an Eagle Next Year
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The saying goes that the brighter the star, the faster it burns. But for A.J. Brown, it feels like his 2025 season has ended on more of a whimper.
There are plenty of problems to dive into for why the Philadelphia Eagles’ postseason run ended without a single victory. Brown has certainly earned a place in this conversation. The drop(s) heard round the world were the breaking point of frustration for plenty of Eagles’ fans in this lifeless playoff exit:
But this is just the straw that broke the camel’s back for what has been a season of issues for the three-time Pro Bowler. From posting cryptic tweets, to blowing off locker room scrums, to telling people to drop him off their fantasy teams on a Twitch stream, Brown has voluntarily put himself in headlines on quite a few occasions. None of the individual events are enough to be classified as a full-scale distraction, but each unnecessary nuisance wears on an organization and the fan base as they stack up.
Star wide receivers making headlines for having a strong personality is a tale as old as time. But when the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, and the headaches outweigh the production, the tune begins to change.
Even if Brown has worn out his welcome in the Eagles’ locker room and in the city of Philadelphia, the front office has zero choice in the situation. When opening day kicks off next year, expect number 11 to be lined up out wide and read to catch passes from Jalen Hurts for another season.
A.J. Brown’s Cap Hit is Impossible to Swallow
The conversation starts and ends when you take a look at the salary cap. Howie Roseman is as much of a wizard as you will find when it comes to moving money around to maximize team-building capabilities. But with these types of efforts also comes the potential to be stuck holding the bag, and this is the situation the Eagles find themselves in.
They handed Brown a three-year contract extension on April 24th, 2024, worth $96 million, including $84 million guaranteed. This, at the time, was the most guaranteed money ever handed to a wide receiver as well as the highest average annual value for the position at $32 million. But most concerning in this is a dead cap value of $72.5 million, laid out here by Spotrac:
Without speaking above my pay grade or diving too deep into the salary cap weeds, there is no clean out on this deal. If the Eagles were to cut Brown tomorrow, they would take on a dead cap hit of $72.5 million for the 2026 season. If they were to wait until after the new league year officially starts on June 1st, this number goes down to $45.4 million in dead cap for 2026 as well as a $27.2 million hit in 2027.
The obvious solution here is to seek out a trade, but this is not a clear financial break either. If the Eagles trade away Brown in the current league year, this dead cap is $43.5 million for 2026. If they wait until after the June 1st deadline, this number slips to $16.4 million for next year, and the 2027 dead cap number is $27.2 million. Comparatively, the $16.4 million figure is by far the most tolerable, but signing up to spend this type of money just for a mostly productive player not to be on the roster is not ideal:
All things equal, it feels like both sides would prefer a divorce. A.J. Brown has not been quiet about his frustrations with the fan base, and the quotes from Nick Sirianni about the greatness of their relationship falls a bit hollow when he is chasing him down the sideline.
But the reality is Brown just had 1,000+ receiving yards for his fourth consecutive season in Philadelphia. He has had at least seven touchdowns in every season. Even in a down year, Brown ranked 19th in the league in receptions, 19th in receiving yards, and tied for 15th in touchdowns. That isn’t a level of production you pay to get off the roster, especially at this type of price-point.
The frustration right now is completely justified. Brown has failed to run out routes on a number of occasions this year and came up small in the biggest game of the season. It will also be interesting to see what stories emerge in what feels like a broken relationship between him and Jalen Hurts.
But all decisions must still be made in what is in the best interest of building out the Eagles moving forward. Brown’s antics are annoying, but not to the level that it disrupts the team’s trajectory. Let the emotions die down for a while, get the star wide receiver in couples counseling, find a real offensive coordinator, and gear up for Super Bowl 61.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.