2 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

This. This is why I said the Eagles might have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. The bigger picture might be we may have to take a step back in 2026, so that going on into the future we are set up better. They had to do that in 2021. That day of reckoning is coming at some point in time.

It’s not that I want to trade AJ Brown. I love AJ Brown. Frankly, I think he’s one of the best 10 wide receivers in the league. However, if he’s gonna be this unhappy and create issues that you should probably just bite the bullet like you said and get the compensation you can. Try to also get some helpful players at other positions involved in that trade. set yourself up better for the future while unfortunately taking a step back in 2026. It is hard for us to swallow because of where they are with all these guys. But ultimately it might benefit you for the long run while it hurts you in the short run.

Awesome. Let's blow another year of the window and Lane's last year and have Hurts close to 30 when he's already slowing down. Sounds great.

3 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Maybe the world isn’t ending but it doesn’t look nearly as it good a year ago.

I agree (not sure we're still talking eagles but I agree in any case)

Just now, Diehardfan said:

Awesome. Let's blow another year of the window and Lane's last year and have Hurts close to 30 when he's already slowing down. Sounds great. 

Just so you know a reset like in 2021 is eventually coming. It’s either gonna be this year, next year or down the road. That day of reckoning is coming. You’re gonna have to pay the piper. It’s why you might wanna consider doing it now so you can set yourself up for a better future with more flexibility and more cash.

you are complaining about it in 2026, if they don’t do it now then they do it down the road, I’m guessing there’s gonna be a complaint then about why they’re doing it then.

7 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Eh, those two wins are Giants last season where they rested their starters and the Giants this season. They've struggled mightily in most games without him and lost the playoff game. So in non Giants games they're 0-3 without him.

Seattle was able to get by because Kubiak is really good and Darnold I believe is more geared for a precision offense that can function with a shifty explosive guy they can use all over the field. I think the Eagles with Brown it's a lot different. I think he's one of the 3 most important players on the Eagles. And him not being here barring a replacement of another top 10 WR effectively ends their Super Bowl hopes for 2026.

No. I didn't include games he rested.

They beat the Saints in 2024 and Giants this year without him. I miss counted and they lost 3 games. One was the tail end of the biggest collapse we've ever seen. The second was the Falcons when they should have won but called a pass that a wide open Barkley dropped. And then the Bucs before the bye when the entire offense stunk and was the last game before they stopped trying Kellen Moores offense and went super simple and run heavy.

Just now, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

Just so you know a reset like in 2021 is eventually coming. It’s either gonna be this year, next year or down the road. That day of reckoning is coming. You’re gonna have to pay the piper. It’s why you might wanna consider doing it now so you can set yourself up for a better future with more flexibility and more cash.

you are complaining about it in 2026, if they don’t do it now then they do it down the road, I’m guessing there’s gonna complaint then about why they’re doing it then.

What are you talking about? What reset is coming? We talked about this a few days ago there is no need for some hard reset if they do it over the next 2 years and keep the window open for next year. They have a real chance of winning next year and it's stupid to toss it away.

10 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

So when they need to sign all the D players add 27 million in dead space onto that just to make the team worse and add another need they have to fill when they already have OT, OG, TE, CB2, and safety along with edge if JP leaves.

Again, the dead cap is by design. Howie doesn't care about dead cap nearly as much as fans do. You either trust him or don't.

So, this is odd - Spotrac and OTC have updated their numbers for Eagles 2026 cap space. They now show only ~$11mm in starting cap space, down from $22mm previously. Not sure if the estimate for overall 2026 cap was reduced, or what's going on, but they are basically in agreement. And that DOES include the 2025 rollover. If they are right, we legitimately can't trade AJ before June 1 in any scenario.

Hopefully they are low on the estimate for the 2026 staring cap at ~304mm. Here's what it looks like if we try and retain guys:

If these numbers are correct, it feels like Phillips may not be affordable for us. Or Reed is gone. Or both.

2 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

So, this is odd - Spotrac and OTC have updated their numbers for Eagles 2026 cap space. They now show only ~$11mm in starting cap space, down from $22mm previously. Not sure if the estimate for overall 2026 cap was reduced, or what's going on, but they are basically in agreement. And that DOES include the 2025 rollover. If they are right, we legitimately can't trade AJ before June 1 in any scenario.

Hopefully they are low on the estimate for the 2026 staring cap at ~304mm. Here's what it looks like if we try and retain guys:

If these numbers are correct, it feels like Phillips may not be affordable for us. Or Reed is gone. Or both.

Picking between the two they can get another safety a lot easier than edge

3 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

So, this is odd - Spotrac and OTC have updated their numbers for Eagles 2026 cap space. They now show only ~$11mm in starting cap space, down from $22mm previously. Not sure if the estimate for overall 2026 cap was reduced, or what's going on, but they are basically in agreement. And that DOES include the 2025 rollover. If they are right, we legitimately can't trade AJ before June 1 in any scenario.

Hopefully they are low on the estimate for the 2026 staring cap at ~304mm. Here's what it looks like if we try and retain guys:

If these numbers are correct, it feels like Phillips may not be affordable for us. Or Reed is gone. Or both.

Didn't Howie say there will basically be sacrifices?

Probably a good idea to map out the different scenarios for different players that you wouldn't expect to be gone

6 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

What are you talking about? What reset is coming? We talked about this a few days ago there is no need for some hard reset if they do it over the next 2 years and keep the window open for next year. They have a real chance of winning next year and it's stupid to toss it away.

Because there’s things they could do that would help them more sustainability 2027 onward (cash wise) rather than being all in on 2026 with a player who might not be happy to be here and cause issues with your team. Plus get compensation for him to help you long term which may not be nearly as good in 2027 or nonexistent.

No, a couple days ago you came up with the idea that we’re just gonna get 2-3 guys in every year in the draft and we’ll be able to just replace those guys would be fine. I said you in theory that sounds great. But also in theory the rest of the league could do that and that means we should have 32 really good teams. It benefits us that we have Howie Roseman. But he’s not flawless. Even he has had bad offseasons

I thought it was pretty telling and howie at his presser he talked about there is going to be tough decisions and sacrifices going forward. I do not think that was by accident that he put that out there. I think it’s his job to take a look from afar and not just look at specifically 2026.

4 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

No. I didn't include games he rested.

They beat the Saints in 2024 and Giants this year without him. I miss counted and they lost 3 games. One was the tail end of the biggest collapse we've ever seen. The second was the Falcons when they should have won but called a pass that a wide open Barkley dropped. And then the Bucs before the bye when the entire offense stunk and was the last game before they stopped trying Kellen Moores offense and went super simple and run heavy.

It's a small sample but the offense has been pretty terrible without him. Last season the Saints was one of their worst offensive games. They couldn't do anything on offense all game til Barkley went berserk and they hit that mesh play to Goedert.

I think people are really underselling the catastrophic impact it would have if he were not here. Much like people did with DeSean when he left. Different circumstances, but I do believe there's a lot of copium involved in both. And couple that with Lane retiring and a bad OC hire, forget it. Might as well fast forward to 2027, 2026 would be over even before it began. But even if Lane stays and they get like Joe Brady for OC, barring trading for some stud to fill in, I think this offense would be pretty bad. Mainly because I don't think this QB can run a functional offense without the ability to throw jump balls down field to elite WRs. That's really the only time this offense is ever explosive. Or Barkley goes berserk for 2k again. If this team had Josh Allen, I'd have a much different opinion on it. I think without elite WRs... frankly, Jalen Hurts sucks. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

7 minutes ago, Diehardfan said:

Picking between the two they can get another safety a lot easier than edge

The counterpoints are Reed will be a lot cheaper, and they have Nolan and Hunt on the roster.

JP will come down to price. They'll have a ceiling and be willing to lose him for a comp pick if he gets more on the open market.

10 minutes ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Again, the dead cap is by design. Howie doesn't care about dead cap nearly as much as fans do. You either trust him or don't.

This is verging into "The salary cap isn't real" territory. There's a middle ground where you can have confidence in Howie but also acknowledge that his philosophy and decisions to date have restricted our flexibility when it comes to making certain moves.

10 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

So, this is odd - Spotrac and OTC have updated their numbers for Eagles 2026 cap space. They now show only ~$11mm in starting cap space, down from $22mm previously. Not sure if the estimate for overall 2026 cap was reduced, or what's going on, but they are basically in agreement. And that DOES include the 2025 rollover. If they are right, we legitimately can't trade AJ before June 1 in any scenario.

Hopefully they are low on the estimate for the 2026 staring cap at ~304mm. Here's what it looks like if we try and retain guys:

If these numbers are correct, it feels like Phillips may not be affordable for us. Or Reed is gone. Or both.

For whatever reason OTC is using $295M base while Spotrac has the $304M like you said. They also differ at an individual level. Spotrac has Lane Johnson at $24M and Mailata at $19M. OTC has Lane at $20M and Mailata at $16M. I guess that they are close is just coincidence.

10 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

It's a small sample but the offense has been pretty terrible without him. Last season the Saints was one of their worst offensive games. They couldn't do anything on offense all game til Barkley went berserk and they hit that mesh play to Goedert.

I think people are really underselling the catastrophic impact it would have if he were not here. Much like people did with DeSean when he left. Different circumstances, but I do believe there's a lot of copium involved in both. And couple that with Lane retiring and a bad OC hire, forget it. Might as well fast forward to 2027, 2026 would be over even before it began. But even if Lane stays and they get like Joe Brady for OC, barring trading for some stud to fill in, I think this offense would be pretty bad. Mainly because I don't think this QB can run a functional offense without the ability to throw jump balls down field to elite WRs. That's really the only time this offense is ever explosive. Or Barkley goes berserk for 2k again. If this team had Josh Allen, I'd have a much different opinion on it. I think without elite WRs... frankly, Jalen Hurts sucks. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

I think it's hard to say one way or the other. All the games they lost without him had legitimate reasons beyond his absence. If they are game planning and force feeding him to make him happy maybe not having that burden is a benefit to the flow of the offense. It's more than likely a downgrade without him though.

4 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

This is verging into "The salary cap isn't real" territory. There's a middle ground where you can have confidence in Howie but also acknowledge that his philosophy and decisions to date have restricted our flexibility when it comes to making certain moves.

I thought it was very telling by Howie in the presser said there’s going to be sacrifices going forward (and tough decisions). To me there is likely going to come a day where the Eagles make the decision that leads to a year where it’s a step back which ultimately helps them to take 2-3 steps forward in the future.

Do I personally think that’s in 2026? No. But Howie and lurie are always thinking about the future not just the now and upcoming season. So I am guessing it’s been discussed.

7 minutes ago, we_gotta_believe said:

This is verging into "The salary cap isn't real" territory. There's a middle ground where you can have confidence in Howie but also acknowledge that his philosophy and decisions to date have restricted our flexibility when it comes to making certain moves.

That was specifically about having high amounts of dead money on the cap. It's all by design because that is Howie's process and plan. And if anything, it has given the Eagles more flexibility than most teams.

1 minute ago, LeanMeanGM said:

That was specifically about having high amounts of dead money on the cap. It's all by design because that is Howie's process and plan. And if anything, it has given the Eagles more flexibility than most teams.

Howie is smart to have high dead cap, as you're basically borrowing from the future interest free, or frankly at a negative interest rate. Since the cap goes up every year (other than 2021), punting money into future years to be a smaller percentage of the cap is free money. 2026 is unique in that we've never been this tight going into an offseason. We usually have over $30mm before making adjustments. 2026 was set up as the tightest year.

1 minute ago, LeanMeanGM said:

That was specifically about having high amounts of dead money on the cap. It's all by design because that is Howie's process and plan. And if anything, it has given the Eagles more flexibility than most teams.

I view it this way too, Carson Wentz had his issue aside but in 2021 they decided they were gonna have a step back/soft reset where they lowered expectations, get some future assets and absorbed some cap/money to help set them up for the future after 2021. It’s the NFL, it is very hard to sustain what New England did with Tom Brady for 2 decades and what the Chiefs did from when Andy got there till this past season.

Do I think that’s coming in 2026? No I’d bet against it. but i wouldn’t be ultimately shocked if some people are frustrated and shocked by some of the decisions coming this offseason.

1 hour ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Also with AJ Brown, I disagree trading him leaves some massive hole. Obviously it's a downgrade, but you don't and shouldn't need two $30M WR's to make a passing game work. Let the passing game run through Smith. Draft and develop and 2nd/3rd round guy. Sign a competent free agent or trade for someone before TC.

If you need two top WR's and the passing game is still average at best, you have other major problems.

Hurts needs WRs that can win outside. Those receivers typically are at a premium.

7 minutes ago, vikas83 said:

Howie is smart to have high dead cap, as you're basically borrowing from the future interest free, or frankly at a negative interest rate. Since the cap goes up every year (other than 2021), punting money into future years to be a smaller percentage of the cap is free money. 2026 is unique in that we've never been this tight going into an offseason. We usually have over $30mm before making adjustments. 2026 was set up as the tightest year.

This is why I think people are gonna be shocked and some frustrated about some of the moves/lack of moves in FA they make this off-season. I think this off-season was kind of set up as resigning and extending their own guys and potentially allowing some guys like Reed and Phillips to leave if the money is too much and get comp picks back. then draft and develop. Along with adding guys around the margins. I don’t see the big splash coming in FA.

which then conversation becomes are they just a good OC from fixing this pass offense? We are hoping so cause if it struggles again then it’s going to be a wild 2027 offseason.

8 minutes ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

Because there’s things they could do that would help them more sustainability 2027 onward (cash wise) rather than being all in on 2026 with a player who might not be happy to be here and cause issues with your team. Plus get compensation for him to help you long term which may not be nearly as good in 2027 or nonexistent.

No, a couple days ago you came up with the idea that we’re just gonna get 2-3 guys in every year in the draft and we’ll be able to just replace those guys would be fine. I said you in theory that sounds great. But also in theory the rest of the league could do that and that means we should have 32 really good teams. It benefits us that we have Howie Roseman. But he’s not flawless. Even he has had bad offseasons

If they have that many picks this year and don't get 2-3 guys who can have next year to learn and then can't contribute as starters then Howie has epically failed. I don't see that happening. Will they start this year? No, but they don't have to.

Next year if they can't get 2 players in the draft then again that's an epic fail that hasn't happened for a long time.

The rest of the teams don't have Howie. Was last year as strong as the one before? No, but they have at least 2 players who should be able to start and contribute next year as starters.

They are going to have to move on from Brown in the near future. We all agree on that, but they need OT, OG, S, CB2, TE, and edge depth. Next year they may need to draft a QB of the future somewhere in the draft with Hurts being close to 30 and already slowing down on top of a WR. You can't say on one hand they can't be expected to fill all the upcoming holes and then add two more onto that list.

1 hour ago, Sack that QB said:

We still don't know why AJ Brown has been unhappy. There has been no concrete reporting on that. Some say he doesn't like Hurts, but no one has definitely reported that's why he's unhappy. And we've seen them get along, I don't think they hate each other even though they may not be as close anymore. Some have suggested he's just upset at his role in the offense. But there has been nothing concrete either way.

But this is a pretty unprecedented situation. We've seen many great players unhappy in their situations before. But it usually falls under the following categories.

-Coach and/or locker room doesn't get along with the player and they can't co-exist - no indications that's the case here. Everyone seems to like him personally.

-Player wants out because he's not getting paid what he thinks he deserves and/or has some type of beef with the front office - not the case here, they've mutually agreed to two mega contracts since he's been here.

-Player doesn't believe he can win in a team that always loses and wants to go somewhere he thinks he can win - not the case here obviously, all the Eagles have done is win with him here.

So why is he so miserable? No one seems to know. If he just doesn't like the offense, this is the most correctable problem on the planet. If he hates Jalen Hurts, that is a tougher one to solve. But again, no indications they hate each other. Or is it something else entirely we haven't heard of? The whole situation is so bizarre.

Is this AJ Brown? 🤣 This is not Prime AJ Brown from 2022 & 2023 seasons any longer.

I'll give you 9 names of more important Eagles going into next year than this 2026 version of AJ Brown.

1. Hurts

2. Lane

3. Mailata

4. Devanta

5. Coop

6. Q

7. Baun

8. Carter

9. JD

I just think AJ is severely overrated at this point. And is a big name more than anything. He's a shell of his former self at this point.

1 minute ago, Diehardfan said:

If they have that many picks this year and don't get 2-3 guys who can have next year to learn and then can't contribute as starters then Howie has epically failed. I don't see that happening. Will they start this year? No, but they don't have to.

Next year if they can't get 2 players in the draft then again that's an epic fail that hasn't happened for a long time.

The rest of the teams don't have Howie. Was last year as strong as the one before? No, but they have at least 2 players who should be able to start and contribute next year as starters.

They are going to have to move on from Brown in the near future. We all agree on that, but they need OT, OG, S, CB2, TE, and edge depth. Next year they may need to draft a QB of the future somewhere in the draft with Hurts being close to 30 and already slowing down on top of a WR. You can't say on one hand they can't be expected to fill all the upcoming holes and then add two more onto that list.

They are eventually gonna have the aj hole added to the list. It’s either now or 2027. AJ Brown is very unlikely here for the long-term. He’s very likely gone in 2027.

So the decision is bring him back in 2026 and wait to replace him or just get out of here early and getting compensated for it. There is a reality that exists that if AJ Brown doesn’t stay healthy or he under performs in 2026 or is so unhappy that it creates an untenable situation that you get no or little compensation for him in 2027. The Eagles might consider he’s unhappy here, we can’t make him happy, his unhappiness is affecting him on the field and in the locker room. which leads them to feeling they are better off getting asset picks compensation now than waiting a year and potentially getting less or even nothing.

Again, your first three paragraphs, I can say for almost every organization that they failed if they don’t do that. I love howie’s progress that he made since 2021. He’s been on a crazy heated draft wise. However, some of the success he had was because he got trading away players, letting players walk and collecting assets to help him build and sustain this. Wentz trade for instance very much helped this. Along with a down 2020 year that provided him a trade back that helped stockpile assets as well. He also took 2021 as a we’re gonna collect assets, run with the team we have and see where the chips fall. which then goes back to AJ Brown. He might consider (he also might say i don’t want too) I take the hit if it means I get those type of assets again that can help me shape the next 3-4 years rather than just 2026