I like that the 1st round pick gives Howie optionality for the 2027 draft. He will evaluate the Eagles 2026 performance (the offense and Hurts, more precisely) and use those results as an indication on what direction he needs to proceed with that pick. If the Eagles tread water this season — 11 wins, early playoff exit — I think he’ll be very inclined to use the pick to jump up towards the top of the draft in 2027.

The Chiefs got Mahomes by trading picks #27 and 91 along with that future first to get all the way up to #10 overall. If the Eagles don’t truly contend in 2026 I can see that type of plan get put in motion for 2027.

Internet detectives out there

Glad they got a first but if your price it as 2027 its a second and a fifth. Seems low

Things will be awkward after he fails his physical and the trade is voided.

There are so many different angles from which to view the AJ Brown trade.

In regards to AJ's legacy:

1. He was an elite player who contributed to 2 SB appearances and 1 SB title. The memory of 2025 should (and likely will) soften over time.

2. Any player who forces their way out of town and has their effort questioned still has a stigma that will be difficult to shake. I still argue that he's really slowing down and that confounded the effort debate.

In regards to the trade:

1. Getting a first round pick that is deferred 2 (and in a way, 3, considering he could have been traded pre-draft) years is not fun. It doesn't feel like a win. The 2027 capital is negligible. Waddle, an inferior player, generated a seriously superior return.

2. AJ Brown is CLEARLY on the decline. I've said for years his playing style will not age well. 2023 AJ Brown was gone weather we kept AJ or not.

3. The Eagles traded a 1st and a 3rd for AJ Brown. In 4 years, they went to 2 SBs and won 1 with him as their #1 WR. He went to 2 pro-bowls. And then they traded him for a 1st and a 5th. This return was mildly disappointing today, but the zoomed out sequence is fantastic.

In regards to the Eagles:

1. It's so true that replacing 2025 AJ Brown isn't all that daunting.

2. It's equally true that replacing 2025 AJ Brown isn't the freaking task at hand. The 2025 offense sucked. Subtracting their leading receiver, in decline or not, and adding a rookie slot and rookie TE2 to a lousy offense is EXTREMELY concerning. If you buy into the notion that swapping out OC's while the personnel on offense continues to age and decline will magically change things, then I've got multiple bridges in multiple cities to sell you. You have to acknowledge that any smart money is aligning itself with the offense royally disappointing next year. The personnel just isn't there.

37 minutes ago, NOTW said:

Gonna have to sign Reagor for this practice. He is the Jerry Rice of joint practices against the Patriots.

1 hour ago, Wentz_Era said:

He’s a pouty dude, who’s been an issue since he got here for sure. Kind of like the dude i compared him to, but denying that his talent is wild. He’s a great WR, just a diva. We will see how he does this year if the injuries and lingering issues were a fluke health wise.

He's a great talent. Is he an all time great talent? IMO, no.

52 minutes ago, Blazehound said:

I guess the Pats were satisfied and didn’t care about his knee?

He still had to pass a physical. Never know could be a Crosby situation lol

Glad it's actually done (not over, it'll still be talked aboht until week 1 and probably into the season if the offense sucks), I doubt that 2028 first is used in 2028. They'll use it next draft to move up, and if Hurts is subpar again this year they can go get a QB. Also possible they try to go after Burrow, but he'll be 30 with a lot of wear and tear. They would need to ensure the OL is solid before making that move

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

He still had to pass a physical. Never know could be a Crosby situation lol

Honestly as much as it would suck for us it would be hilarious if he finally got his wish and his favorite team's doctors told him to go screw.

50 minutes ago, Alphagrand said:

I like that the 1st round pick gives Howie optionality for the 2027 draft. He will evaluate the Eagles 2026 performance (the offense and Hurts, more precisely) and use those results as an indication on what direction he needs to proceed with that pick. If the Eagles tread water this season — 11 wins, early playoff exit — I think he’ll be very inclined to use the pick to jump up towards the top of the draft in 2027.

The Chiefs got Mahomes by trading picks #27 and 91 along with that future first to get all the way up to #10 overall. If the Eagles don’t truly contend in 2026 I can see that type of plan get put in motion for 2027.

Yup. I felt this way for a while, this season is big for hurts. Imo he is going to either an extension or you have to make a decision on whether or not he is your quarterback for the foreseeable future. if hurts is great then it makes the decision easier for Howie and the front off. if he goes out there and the passing offense looks similar to 2025 and kind of what it look like in 2024 then i think the move is looking for a new Qb and moving off of hurts eventually (maybe using him as a trade chip to another team that believes he could be the guy still). This puts the Eagles in a position to have three first round picks over the next two years so if they need to they can maneuver around the draft board to try and get the Qb if it comes to that or they can trade picks to get another elite talent or love up the board to get one. It also allows (if hurts and the offense fail) the eagles to explore trades for veteran QBs if they become available.

58 minutes ago, Blazehound said:

I guess the Pats were satisfied and didn’t care about his knee?

Vrabel didn’t want all those F sessions with Russini to be for nothing

Howie can still trade McKee and have even more picks, but honestly with how bad Dalton has apparently looked, I think I’d be hesitant unless it’s a minimum of a 3rd from a team expected to be pretty bad.

5 minutes ago, devpool said:

Honestly as much as it would suck for us it would be hilarious if he finally got his wish and his favorite team's doctors told him to go screw.

Tbh it would completely F over AJ Brown. Because it would be 2 teams that didn’t like what the medical said about his knee. I can’t imagine a year from now when he’s 30 years old, with another season on him (and potentially decline) that he is going to get an extension that he deemed is worthy. He would essentially put him in a bad spot with just $4 mil guaranteed left on his contract after 2027

The above reads as insanity, but then again today's athletes fit the bill. Always wondered what the "personal issue" was between them.

It's always either money or a woman.

I suspect Brown will have a season where the Eagles routinely get clowned for trading him for a 1 so far in the future, but then he fades in 2027 and 2028. It appears he already lost a half-step, and I’m not sure how effective he is if and when he loses another half step.

4 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

The above reads as insanity, but then again today's athletes fit the bill. Always wondered what the "personal issue" was between them.

It's always either money or a woman.

Maybe that story is true. But I still think this comes back to money. AJ knows his next contract is going to be his last big payday. If the Eagles pass offense is going to continuously struggle like it had in 2024 and 2025, then he’s not able to maximize his production. That’s gonna wind up being misconstrued (in his mind) with he is declining which he very well might be declining.

The money part comes in because at the end of 2026 he only has $4 million guaranteed left on his contract. He's going to ask for an extension. I am guessing his agent probably already went to the Eagles asking about an extension (likely before the 2025 season) just to see where they were at and if they were open to it knowing what was coming at the end of 2026. I firmly believe AJ and his agent saw (like all of us) that the Eagles were likely gonna start allocating the money to the defense aside of the ball and those young players that they had. That they were not gonna pay a 30-year-old wide receiver with possible knee issues going forward.

So I think some of this is knew if he got traded somewhere and they give up real assets, they are much more likely to give him an extension otherwise it’s gonna look worse that they gave up real assets and didn’t or creating another drama filled issue

6 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

I suspect Brown will have a season where the Eagles routinely get clowned for trading him for a 1 so far in the future, but then he fades in 2027 and 2028. It appears he already lost a half-step, and I’m not sure how effective he is if and when he loses another half step.

I think New England benefits this year from the trade. Then after 2026 he asks for a new contract as he has very little guaranteed money left 2027 and beyond. They give him that extension and a year into it he begins to decline and not stay healthy and they regret giving him that extension

I’ll be rooting for all the injuries for the Patriots in 2027. I don’t care how classless that sounds, I want a high pick from this trade. Oh and I hope Vrabel starts banging Russini again and gets divorced in 2027 too then retires due to deep depression. I love draft pick hate watching and rooting for the worst. Gives you an extra thing to root for on Sundays

39 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

If he really requested a trade when the team was 4-0 last season, that’s everything anyone needs to know.

Let’s just say that story is true…

Imagine you’re AJ Brown’s newlywed wife. She asks, "Why you Jalen so much? I thought you were best friends.”

"Well ya see I was Fing this massage therapist…”