Eagles GM Howie Roseman details scramble to get A.J. Brown deal done after trade

There was almost a reality where wide receiver A.J. Brown never became a Philadelphia Eagle. Philadelphia and general manager Howie Roseman agreed to a trade, in principle, with the Tennessee Titans on the night of the 2022 NFL Draft, but there was just one issue: Brown was entering the last year of his rookie contract. 

As Roseman explained during a recent appearance on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast, the Eagles didn't want to trade two valuable draft picks -- including a first-rounder -- for one year of Brown before he potentially hit free agency. 

"We got to get a contract done first," Roseman recalled. "So we trade up and we get Jordan Davis (with the 13th pick) and our contract's still not done. And (former Titans general manager) Jon (Robinson)'s like, 'Well, what are we doing? What's going on here?' After we picked Jordan -- I think the pick we ended up trading was 18th -- between 12 and 18 I'm trying to finish the contract. Nobody knew except a couple people that we were even doing it." 

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Fortunately for Philadelphia, the deal got done by pick No. 14. The Eagles acquired Brown for the 18th overall pick and a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and then quickly signed him to a five-year contract worth $100 million.  

"It was really fun," Roseman said. "It was great energy. It was really like, I can't even get to five on the amount of people who knew in our building because of the contract situation."  

The scramble has more than paid off for Philadelphia. Brown has had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made two Pro Bowl appearances since joining the Eagles. He was also a key member of the 2024 Philadelphia team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. 

Brown signed a three-year extension with the Eagles in April 2024 worth $96 million.