A.J. Brown landing spots: Five teams that make sense for Eagles receiver

If Brown has played his last snap in Philadelphia, where could he be headed?

By Jordan Dajani

Jan 12, 2026 at 4:54 pm ET • 5 min read

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The Philadelphia Eagles' 2025 season ended on Sunday, as they fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card round, 23-19. Philly carried a six-point lead into the fourth quarter, but two Christian McCaffrey touchdowns in the final 15 minutes gave San Francisco the win. Jalen Hurts and Co. had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, but turned the ball over on downs at the 49ers' 21-yard line with 40 seconds remaining.

A major storyline in this matchup was Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown. He caught just three of seven targets for 25 yards -- all of which came in the first quarter. Brown also registered a couple of notable drops. One was followed by a heated exchange with coach Nick Sirianni late in the first half, and another came on a third down during what the Eagles hoped would be a game-winning drive. Brown declined to speak with reporters after the loss.

Sunday was more than just a star player having a bad game on a big stage, as Brown famously criticized the Eagles offense multiple times this year. When it came time for him to be a difference-maker, he dropped the ball. Sirianni defended his receiver after the game, saying that they have a "special relationship," and have gone through "every emotion you can possibly have together." Still, it's fair to wonder if Brown has played his final season with the Eagles.

DeVonta Smith was Philly's leading receiver this season with 1,008 yards and four touchdowns on 77 catches. It was the first time he recorded more yards than Brown during the dynamic duo's four seasons together. In 15 regular-season games played this year, Brown caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. He has crossed 1,000 receiving yards in all four of his seasons with the Eagles since coming over from the Tennessee Titans in 2022 via trade, but this year's 1,003 receiving yards marked his lowest total as an Eagle.

Could Brown be traded again? Let's examine five potential landing spots for Brown, beginning in the AFC East.

After a surprisingly quick exit from the playoffs, the Eagles find themselves with more questions than answers

Jared Dubin

A.J. Brown began his NFL career with Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, and the two had a close relationship. In fact, when the Titans made the decision to trade Brown during the 2022 NFL Draft, Vrabel had to get up out of his seat in the war room and walk around while shaking his head in disbelief. He was right. It ended up being a terrible decision for Tennessee. As for Brown's potential fit in New England, it's clear that the Patriots' Super Bowl window is wide open with Drake Maye at quarterback and Vrabel's aggressive defense. New England did have a couple of surprising names step up this season to carry the load offensively with Stefon Diggs, such as Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Rookie Kyle Williams is also an intriguing talent who could play a role down the line, but gifting Maye a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver with the physical talents Brown possesses would take the Patriots to another level.

If the Patriots don't make a move for Brown, perhaps their rival in the Buffalo Bills can. Don't ever question Josh Allen's wide receivers in front of general manager Brandon Beane, but there's no doubt that this group can be upgraded. Former No. 33 overall pick Keon Coleman caught just 38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns in his second NFL season and was made a healthy scratch multiple times, then free agency signee Josh Palmer caught just 22 passes for 303 yards and zero touchdowns in 12 games. Imagine pairing Allen and a wide receiver like Brown together.

The Denver Broncos have a 1,000-yard receiver under contract through 2029 in Courtland Sutton, but imagine giving Bo Nix another 1,000-yard receiver like Brown. Troy Franklin stepped up this season with 709 yards and six receiving touchdowns, but he and Sutton were the only players to cross 465 yards receiving for Denver this season. The Broncos offense finished the regular season ranked in the top 10, but this unit was inconsistent all year. Brown would certainly help with that.

With John Harbaugh out, could the Baltimore Ravens move differently this offseason? The franchise is looking for ways to "invigorate" star quarterback Lamar Jackson and find postseason success. Adding Brown can do both. Zay Flowers is a legitimate weapon, as he had a career year with 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns, but DeAndre Hopkins and Isaiah Likely are free agents looking for new deals. Brown also has a relationship with star running back Derrick Henry from their Tennessee days. They were a part of an epic AFC Championship run in 2019, where the Titans upset the No. 1-seeded Ravens in Baltimore in the divisional round. Perhaps Henry could play a role in recruiting Brown to Baltimore.

The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off another deflating postseason loss, and Jim Harbaugh should be looking to upgrade Justin Herbert's weaponry (as well as the offensive line). Ladd McConkey was the Chargers' leading receiver with 789 yards and six touchdowns, and Quentin Johnston finally had his breakout season with 735 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. Keenan Allen, who recorded 777 yards receiving and four touchdowns this season and turns 34 in April, is now a free agent. Could the Chargers get aggressive and trade for a star like Brown? Keep in mind that Los Angeles is scheduled to have the most cap space in the NFL this season. Right now that number is $103,578,588, according to Over The Cap.

Why an A.J. Brown trade remains unlikely

It's fun to speculate, but a Brown trade likely won't happen. In April 2024, Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension that runs through the 2029 season. He is currently the No. 6 highest-paid wide receiver in terms of AAV, as his deal averages $32 million per year. Trading Brown does not make much financial sense for the Eagles, since they are on the hook for multiple more years. As Spotrac points out, a pre-June 1 trade means the Eagles would take on the fourth-largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history, PLUS another $20 million loss in savings.