Even during the offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles can create plenty of drama. Nick Sirianni met with reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, where he was noncommittal on whether Mercurial forward AJ Brown would remain with the team for the 2026 season.
When asked about the situation, Sirianni said he wished Brown was on the team, but the coach said he “I can’t guarantee” that, according to ESPN.
“Will AJ be there next season? I think we are still in a difficult situation, I can’t guarantee how things will go next season. I think I will be the coach next season, but you can’t guarantee anything beyond tomorrow,” he said.
Sirianni was making a broader point that nothing is guaranteed. His comments should therefore not be taken as a direct attack on Brown. But Sirianni could also have just said, “Yes, I expect him to be there and I want him to be there” and left it at that. The fact that he didn’t choose this track will no doubt fuel some rumors about Brown’s availability.
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The team’s general manager, Howie Roseman, also fueled these rumors, saying he would listen to trades on any player.
“You never know what someone is willing to do. Certainly, we’ve been in situations where there were guys we didn’t plan to trade that we got too good an offer from, and then you balance it with what you can get.”
Although Brown, 28, had fantastic seasons with the Eagles, his frustrations with the team sometimes seemed to overflow in 2025. Brown had a some margin explosions and comments aimed at its use and lack of targets.
His numbers rebounded after a slow start, but Brown finished with his second-lowest yardage total since entering the league and posted his lowest catch rate since 2022.
If the Eagles were to part ways with Brown this offseason, it would almost certainly be done via trade. Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the club in 2024. This deal does not take effect until next season, meaning Brown is under contract with the Eagles until 2029.
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Although Brown is owed a lot of money over the next two seasons, he is still talented enough to draw interest from other teams around the league.
Brown seems certain to bounce back after a somewhat down year in 2025. The only question now is whether that resurgence season will come with the Eagles.
