Eagles odds and ends: A.J. Brown reportedly asked out, and could the Cowboys' next DC be a former Eagle?

Howie Roseman might not want to trade Eagles WR A.J. Brown but a report suggested that Brown doesn't feel the same way. Also, could the Eagles lose a coach to rival Dallas?

By Geoff Mosher
PhillyVoice Staff

Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice

The future of Eagles WR A.J. Brown is very much uncertain.

Howie Roseman's true intentions for A.J. Brown might not have been revealed Thursday when the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations vahuely suggested that he had no desire to trade his star wideout.

The feeling apparently isn't mutual.

Brown hasn't shied over the past two seasons from expressing his dissatisfaction with the Eagles' passing game, both to the media and on his own social media accounts.

After a conversation following a November practice with owner Jeffrey Lurie, Brown's outspoken gripes calmed, but then he just overall stopped talking to the media weeks later and didn't care to comment after Sunday's 23-19 loss to the 49ers in an NFC Wild Card game, attracting even more speculation about the wideout's future with the organization.

Roseman, in the team's season-ending presser, was asked if he was open to trading Brown, a move that would come with a massive cap hit in 2026 but could actually help the Eagles in the long run, as our Jimmy Kempski detailed. Roseman gave a non-answer about how it's "hard to find great players" and that Brown really loves football.

On Friday, a report from Joe Santoloquito of Bleeding Green Nation surfaced that Brown had "numerous times" during the season asked to be traded, including as early as Week 3, when the Eagles improved to 3-0 after a 33-26 win over the Rams. Interestingly, Brown caught six passes for 109 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown, against the Rams. But over the first two weeks, Brown had caught just six passes for 35 yards.

The Eagles keep trying to paint a different picture of Brown's relationship with the team.

Brown didn't show up Monday during the time period that reporters were allowed inside the locker room on cleanout day but he left signed jerseys hanging in the lockers of Eagles defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, another cryptic move that raises questions about Brown's desire to be with the Eagles.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who at times has appeared to be part of the subject of Brown's tirades about the offense, said that he and Brown had talked.

"We're in a good, great place," Hurts said, imploring reporters to "talk to him and ask.”

A day earlier, TV cameras had caught Brown and head coach Nick Sirianni arguing on the sideline during the loss to the 49ers, in which Brown dropped a few significant passes and caught just three passes for 25 yards. Sirianni downplayed the spat in his post-game press conference.

"I love A.J. I think he knows how I feel about him," Sirianni said. "I have a special relationship with him. We've probably [gone] through every emotion you can possibly have together. We've laughed together, we've cried together, we've yelled at each other. We're both emotional. That happens in this game, but I love him."

Is the feeling mutual? 

A former Eagle could be Cowboys next DC

The Cowboys have reportedly entered Round 2 of their defensive coordinator interviews as they look to replace the fired Matt Eberflus.

Two Eagles – one former, one current – make up two-thirds of the finalists, which makes it more likely than not that the Cowboys' next defensive coordinator will someone who coached under Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia.

Former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and current DBs coach Christian Parker, along with Vikings assistant Daronte Jones, will be going to Cowboys HQ for in-person interviews, per ESPN reporters Jeremy Fowler and Todd Archer.

Parker has been an instrumental piece of Sirianni's defensive staff since coming over from the Broncos, where he first coached under Vic Fangio before sticking around two more seasons after Fangio got fired. Parker then rejoined Fangio on Philadelphia's defensive staff as DBs coach and pass game coordinator.

Under Parker, Eagles DBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have become All Pros in their second seasons and rookie safety Andrew Mukuba was growing into a starting role before suffering a season-ending ankle fracture.

Gannon getting the Cowboys DC job would spice up an already intense NFC East rivalry as many Birds fans still hold the Eagles' Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs against Gannon, whose defense blew a 10-point halftime lead in the 38-35 loss. Gannon then left the Eagles high and dry to take the Cardinals HC job after saying he was staying in Philly, and Arizona was slapped with a tampering charge for talking to Gannon about the opening in between the NFC Championship and Super Bowl, a no-no per league rule.

Gannon then angered Eagles team brass by taking along Eagles LBs coach Nick Rallis as his DC, which Gannon would admit was "a mistake" that he shouldn't have made. Sirianni knew that would come back to haunt Gannon.

If Gannon becomes Cowboys DC, it'll represent the full heel turn for him in Philly.

Old friends

There's at least one former Eagle on all of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs, either on the 53-man roster or practice squad, but the most accomplished is Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who won a ring with the Eagles last year and is trying to win another this season with 2-seed New England.

Williams, who signed a blockbuster deal with the Patriots in free agency, admitted this week that he didn't expect the Patriots to be this good, per this clip from Jeff Skversky:

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-odds-ends-aj-brown-reportedly-trade-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator/

With AJ it all comes down to the trade offer right? If they get a good enough trade offer he’s gone. If he wants out that badly maybe he restructures his deal and that helps him find a way out?

We know this deal will accept dead cap hits. They did it with Carson and if it’s the right move they’ll do it again. The league in general is accepting more and more cap hits I think. The Bronocs are in the AFCCG and have a $80M cap hit with Wilson so it happens. And Howie knows the cap, he knows the cap is going to go up and he’ll have other ways to free up cap to make other moves.

So they just need the right offer to tempt them to move on from AJ and let all parties then be happy. But what can they get? I doubt it’s going to be much more than a third that could become a second? Maybe late round second best case?

That's what sucks about these contracts..nothing affects the player..the teammates the hit because suddenly the player doesn't want to be there..

the player can act the fool and leave but the stench stays with the team for years.

Regarding the AJ reoprt.

On 1/22/2026 at 7:36 AM, time2rock said:

On Friday, a report from Joe Santoloquito of Bleeding Green Nation surfaced that Brown had "numerous times" during the season asked to be traded, including as early as Week 3, when the Eagles improved to 3-0 after a 33-26 win over the Rams. Interestingly, Brown caught six passes for 109 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown, against the Rams. But over the first two weeks, Brown had caught just six passes for 35 yards.

Typical media. A media member or even a caller to wip reports or floats something. Doesn't matter that it is reported without atribution or if it includes any facts at all. Then other media picks it up and makes it a story stating "it's been reported" or "there's a feeling that". And thus comes the media narrative which all too often becomes a self fullfilling prophesy.

This is a great example. Joe no name S floats a report. He cites no facts or sources. Then this hack Mosher who is trolling for clicks to keep his inside the birds business afloat used the unverified Joe S report as a basis for his ertsatz story. Viola - a new narrative created by the media.

I hate the media.

15 hours ago, Rob331 said:

Regarding the AJ reoprt.

Typical media. A media member or even a caller to wip reports or floats something. Doesn't matter that it is reported without atribution or if it includes any facts at all. Then other media picks it up and makes it a story stating "it's been reported" or "there's a feeling that". And thus comes the media narrative which all too often becomes a self fullfilling prophesy.

This is a great example. Joe no name S floats a report. He cites no facts or sources. Then this hack Mosher who is trolling for clicks to keep his inside the birds business afloat used the unverified Joe S report as a basis for his ertsatz story. Viola - a new narrative created by the media.

I hate the media.

It is typical of the media to write an article and present either speculation, a baseless rumor, gut feeling, etc as a verified "report" and it drives me nuts. It is up to the reader to be able to know better when reading the piece to be able to detect that to be the case and take the message with a grain of salt (some times the old adage "where there is smoke there is fire" applies but it should be presented that way (not as a fact).

4 hours ago, time2rock said:

It is typical of the media to write an article and present either speculation, a baseless rumor, gut feeling, etc as a verified "report" and it drives me nuts. It is up to the reader to be able to know better when reading the piece to be able to detect that to be the case and take the message with a grain of salt (some times the old adage "where there is smoke there is fire" applies but it should be presented that way (not as a fact).

Of course you are totaly correct. The sad problem is that most readers or listeners don't know better and don't take the media creative narratives as a grain of salt.