Eagles Unlikely To Trade A.J. Brown ‘At This Time,’ Push Back Dallas Goedert’s Void Date Again
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) celebrates his third-quarter touchdown with receiver A.J. Brown during the playoff win against the Packers on Jan. 12. Yong Kim / The Philadelphia Inquirer
The dominoes for the Eagles’ moves will once again have to wait to see if they fall.
After a light week of free agency from the Eagles, two of the biggest questions from Philadelphia are still unanswered. Will they resign Dallas Goedert, and will they trade A.J. Brown?
Goedert’s questions were supposed to be answered by Friday evening; however, things have changed, and for the second time this week, the Eagles have pushed back Goedert’s void date to this Monday. It was previously set for the start of the new league year this past Wednesday, but was pushed to Friday.
The Eagles and Goedert have tried to work out a contract extension for the past few weeks, but have been unable to agree on a deal. If a deal can’t get worked out, the Eagles would be forced to release him to free agency, and if that were to happen, they’d take on a cap hit of $20+ million.
A $20+ million cap hit is a serious blow to the Eagles’ current plans, as they are still trying to work out a potential signing or trade for an edge rusher and a safety. Having to spend that much money on a player not even on your team would be a huge loss for the Eagles.
On top of the hit, the Eagles would be without one of their top offensive weapons for 2026 and beyond as Geodert has been a prominent part of this team’s offense since being drafted back in 2018. In eight seasons in Philadelphia, Goedert has grabbed 409 receptions for 4676 yards and 35 touchdowns, including 11 touchdowns last season, which set an Eagles franchise record for most in a season by a tight end.
Isaiah Likely has received the largest annual salary by a tight end in free agency this offseason at $13.3 million. Geodert would likely assume something around that number if he were to agree to a deal with Philadelphia.
As for another pass-catcher for the Eagles, it seems as though we’ll have to wait until the summer to see if A.J Brown will play with another team in 2026. According to The Athletic’s Dianni Russini, the Eagles are not trading Brown “at this time,” despite having serious conversations with the Rams and Patriots. If a trade were to be done, it’d have to be a post-June 1st move.
Brown’s trade has been the talk of the offseason, along with Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, as Brown has voiced his displeasure with the Eagles’ offense since last season. The wide receiver felt that he wasn’t involved enough in the offense and needed to see more action in games. Neither thing ever really improved, and eventually, the Eagles’ season ended thanks to a slew of poor offensive performances.
While Brown has never publicly said he wanted to be traded, reports have indicated that a trade was possible. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has gone on to say that the Eagles were not going to trade Brown, but also said they would listen to offers for the receiver.
The big problem with trading Brown is the money that is tied to him. If the Eagles trade him before June 1st, the Eagles will take on a $43.5 million dead cap hit. Dead cap money is money that the team owes to a player that can’t be spent on other free agents. For example, if the cap is $300 million for a season, the Eagles would automatically start at $256.5 million if they Brown.
Due to the large dead-cap hit, the Eagles have overasked in trade talks for Brown, seeking at least two first-round picks. However, nobody has bitten. If they trade Brown after June 1st, the dead cap hit for 2026 would drop to $16.4 million, and the remaining $27 million would come in 2027.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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