Howie Roseman Explains A.J. Brown's Desire To Leave And What It Could Mean

There wasn't a specific moment where Howie Roseman said, ‘Yeah, we gotta trade A.J. Brown.'

It was a series of ongoing conversations that began after the season ended in early January that ultimately led to Monday's deal that sent the talented receiver to the New England Patriots for a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round selection in 2027, reportedly the higher of the two picks New England has in that round.

The general manager spoke on a Zoom call not long after the trade was announced.

"I think that he just felt for his family that this stage of his career, it was something he was desiring, that he was looking forward to," said Roseman. "All our conversations were positive about his experiences in Philly; just felt like going forward here that was something that he preferred.

"When we look at the last year, and there was a lot of talk about him during the trade deadline, he was all in on trying to win another championship last year. We sat down after the season, had conversations, continued to have those conversations throughout the offseason.

"...I don't know that there was a day, but I think just based on a lot of conversations, it felt like there were parallel paths where we could be a really good team with him and obviously we showed that in the four years he's been here, but also felt like with the resources that we had that we could build a really good team going forward as well."

Explaining Advantage Of 2028 Draft Pick

Roseman said that the Eagles would not have done a deal without a first-round pick plus something else. That something else in this case was a fifth-round pick in next spring's draft.

"You go into these (and) you have a feel for the player and what he's done for your team and it's hard to pull the trigger on these," said the GM. "After those conversations and where we are and the players we have coming that we want to extend, being able to get this first round-pick and getting of the cash and cap relief, we felt that maybe this could be a win/win spot for both sides."

Getting a first-round pick in 2028 is important because that is a year where several players' contracts are due to expire, such as Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Saquon Barkley, and Zack Baun, to name a few. Having two picks in the first round – no matter where the Patriots' pick ends up – could go a long way to either helping extend those players and/or drafting two that could step in right away.

Though 2027 is expected to be a strong draft class, 2028 could be, as well considering NIL money is keeping underclassmen in school longer.

"The goal is really for us to have sustainability here," said Roseman. "We got a lot of young players that we want to keep and in a lot of ways, this helps us be able to keep one. Obviously, he had earned a big salary, so that creates some spots for us going forward with that money. Then we have to hit on our picks. We gotta keep making sure we draft well and hit on our picks."

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as Howie Roseman Explains A.J. Brown's Desire To Leave And What It Could Mean.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 3:26 PM.