Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
A.J. Brown trade rumors: Patriots and Eagles talks at an impasse? – Pats Pulpit In fact, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Patriots and Eagles are “not particularly close” at the moment. “I just don’t know that it’s like snap your fingers and the deal is done,” Rapoport said on Wednesday. “The two sides are where they had been, which is the Eagles wanting a first-round pick in 2027. The Patriots, the most likely destination — we’ll see
if someone else arises — not being willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now. That means they’re not particularly close, and there’s a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future.” The Eagles wanting a 2027 first-round draft pick for Brown is nothing new, and neither is the Patriots’ reluctance to part with such a premium commodity in what is considered a deep upcoming draft. As a consequence, there has been speculation about a 2028 first-rounder being a potential middle ground. Rapoport’s report, meanwhile, makes it sound like such a middle ground has not yet been found or agreed upon.
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts: Relationship with A.J. Brown ‘really good’ – ESPN
Brown was married recently and the photos published on social media suggest Hurts wasn’t in attendance. Hurts indirectly confirmed that, while reiterating what he told reporters in January about where things stand between him and Brown. “Nothing’s changed. … We’re really good,” Hurts said of Brown. “I saw how beautiful the pictures came out at his wedding. I’m very happy for him and his wife and his family. It’s a beautiful thing to step into convenance so I was very excited and congratulatory towards that.” The Eagles have set themselves up for life without Brown. They moved up to select Makai Lemon in April’s draft, traded with the Green Bay Packers for Dontayvion Wicks and signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore to one-year deals. There is an air of inevitability about his departure, even if his current teammates can’t come right out and say it. “I’m a big fan of A.J. Brown. One of my really good friends, one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever been around,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “Just respect him as a man. But this is a business. It’s the NFL. If I’m not here, Jalen’s not here, whoever’s not here, the show goes on.”
Eagles stars maintaining focus despite ‘if’ of A.J. Brown trade lingering – NFL.com
“I don’t think we’ve really addressed it,” running back Saquon Barkley said in his Wednesday news conference. “It’s football. It’s the National Football League. It’s gonna be a hard time for me to say anything bad about A.J. Brown. I’m a big fan of A.J. Brown. One of my really good friends. One of my favorite teammates I’ve ever been around. Just respect him as a man. But this is a business. It’s the NFL. If I’m not here, Jalen (Hurts) [is] not here, whoever’s not here, the show goes on. That’s how the NFL operates. You don’t really address it. It’s not really anything to be addressed. You just go about your work and keep getting better. Whatever happens, that’s above my pay grade. I’m just focused on being the best player that I can be and also be the best leader that I can be for this team going into next season.”
Albert Breer’s Notes: Brendan Sorsby’s Next Steps if He Loses Injunction – SI
We touched on the looming A.J. Brown trade in the takeaways Monday, with the expectation it’ll come next week. And I still believe the throughway to satisfying the Eagles’ desire for a first-round pick is pushing that return into 2028. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman has been amenable to such compromises in the past—he took a 2026 third-rounder for Haason Reddick in March 2024—because he has the job security to do so. Also, such a compromise was already discussed between the Eagles and a team other than the Patriots a couple of months ago, at which point Philly would’ve been accepting a pick three drafts away. It’s a small difference, but the 2028 first-rounder is now two drafts away, which creates a parallel to what the Jets received for Quinnen Williams—the Cowboys centered their package for Williams, in fall 2025, around a 2027 first-round pick—that Roseman was using as a trade comp in the first place. Anyway, Roseman has been smart and patient, allowing time to smoke out any suitors over the past couple of months in case unforeseen circumstances arise elsewhere. But I think in the end, as I said in the Monday column, this will wrap up the way we all expect it to.
Agent’s Take: The Eagles and A.J. Brown are headed for a split. Here’s what comes next – CBS Sports
The optimal time for the Eagles to trade Brown is after June 1 when the salary cap ramifications become more favorable. By waiting until June 2, the bonus proration from Brown’s 2027 through 2029 contract years won’t accelerate onto Philadelphia’s 2026 salary cap under NFL salary cap rules. That bonus proration would instead become a 2027 cap charge. Trading Brown prior to June 2 would increase Philadelphia’s 2026 cap charges for Brown by $27,161,609 because of the bonus proration from his 2027 through 2029 contract years accelerating forward. That would have been too cost prohibitive considering the Eagles currently have $26.286 million of 2026 cap space, according to NFLPA data. The Eagles are going to have $21,843,496 in 2026 dead money (a salary cap charge for a player no longer on a team’s roster), resulting in $1.55 million in 2026 cap savings by trading Brown after June 1. The $5.49 million of option bonus proration in 2026 for this year’s option should remain a Philadelphia cap charge, even though the exercise period ends a day before the team’s first regular-season game of the 2026 season, rather than the 2026 cap savings being $7.04 million. The deadline date will be Sept. 8, Sept. 9, Sept. 12 or Sept. 13 depending on where Brown is dealt.
Eagles practice notes: Updates on Jalen Hurts, a new offense, the depth chart, and more – BGN
OFFENSIVE LINE: The first-team unit was LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Markel Bell. Interesting to see the rookie third-round pick instantly working with the starters with Lane Johnson not practicing. Seems like a good sign for Bell. The second-team unit was LT Fred Johnson, LG Myles Hinton, C Jake Majors, RG Drew Kendall, RT John Ojukwu. Hinton is now working at guard after repping at tackle as a rookie. Kendall repping at guard instead of center is interesting. Perhaps prepping him to be the top guy at all three interior spots, like Brett Toth was last year. The third-team unit was LT Hollin Pierce, LG Jaeadan Roberts, C Willie Lampkin, RG Micah Morris, and RT Cameron Williams. Pierce is back at tackle as working as a guard last year. Lampkin falling behind Majors on the depth chart isn’t great for him.
Eagles OTA practice notes: Birds football is back – PhillyVoice
Rookie QB Cole Payton had a nice initial showing. He threw a ball on the money on a corner route to undrafted rookie TE Dae’Quan Wright. He also made nice throws down the field to Elijah Moore and (fill in your receiver of choice because I forgot to write it down). I thought the throws to Moore and the other guy were a little late, but the accuracy was there. (Side note: There will be Eagles beat reporters laying claim to Dae’Quan Wright as “their guy.” Just know for the record that I profiled him in October last year.) [BLG Note: Despite what Jimmy says, Wright is officially My Guy first and foremost.]
‘An enjoyable journey:’ Jalen Hurts having fun learning the Sean Mannion offense – NBCSP
“My process hasn’t changed since college,” Hurts said after an OTA practice on Wednesday. “It hasn’t changed at all. I learn as much as I can, build with the coach and see what his direction is, what his vision is, ask the right questions. I mean, it’s been the same exact process, and I’ve learned a lot on that journey. But I do really want to become an expert at the position, and I want to grow within the position. And that’s obviously hard to do when it’s always changing. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to be the best that I can be, so I’m just trying to grow, taking the coaching that I can so I can be the best I can be for the team.”
Saquon Barkley consulted with Todd Gurley about Eagles’ new offense – PFT
New Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will run a Sean McVay-style offense this season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to play under center more often, and the Eagles are expected to use an outside zone run scheme. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley reached out to Todd Gurley about the system. In five seasons in the offense, Gurley rushed for 5,404 yards and 58 touchdowns, twice earned All-Pro and in 2018 was Offensive Player of the Year.
Why Jalen Hurts is facing critical year; what to expect from Eagles’ defense: Mailbag – The Athletic
The quick answer to this is yes, I expect Hurts to answer the bell and respond to the changes — and some of the charges against him this offseason. I’ve heard him described (and have since written) as a football version of compound interest. That is an apt description. He’s built a career responding to different challenges and demonstrating improvement. Of course, there’s nuance to this. The system isn’t the only change. The players around him are different. And plans often evolve. Let me explain. To begin with, the expected Brown trade will weaken the skill position players. The Eagles have improved their depth and added intriguing options, but they’re losing one of the best players in the NFL who averaged 1,258.5 yards per season during the past four years. You can’t sell me on an addition by subtraction. It’s a subtraction. That affects the passing game — and I think there will be hurdles to overcome, especially early in the season while younger players develop. It’s not prohibitive, and it’s incumbent upon Hurts to help elevate the talent around him, but I think the offense would be better with Brown than without him. Further, if the offensive line experiences injuries — especially on the interior — then the protection could be an issue. That’s where personnel comes into play.
15 minutes of Brian Dawkins’ biggest hits – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Yes, the Crumpler one is included. Of course, there’s the suplex. And the flying tackle. But there are some gems that’ll wake you up
Texans add former Pro Bowl RB to staff as part of Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship – TexansWire
According to reports, former Pro Bowl running back Darren Sproles is participating in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Texans for the spring. A former teammate of Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans in Philadelphia, Sproles now will have a chance to change the game off the field as he did on it during his illustrious career.
Cowboys WR Parris Campbell retiring – Blogging The Boys
There will be one fewer veteran receiver in the Cowboys’ training camp this year. Parris Campbell, a former second-round pick by the Colts in 2019, is calling it a career at just 28 years old. He had signed a futures deal to return to Dallas last January. It’s almost strange to call Campbell a “Cowboys WR” as it feels like he never actually played for us. He did briefly appear in last year’s loss to the Panthers, getting just two snaps on offense and a few more on special teams. But after spending most of 2025 on the practice following a knee injury in August, Campbell appears to be done with fighting with health issues. [BLG Note: Eagles Super Bowl LIX champion is apparently calling it a career.]
Jayden Daniels details work with new Commanders coordinator David Blough – Hogs Haven
Jayden Daniels spent his first two NFL seasons working under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. He’s learning a whole new scheme this offseason, with David Blough taking over as Washington’s offensive play caller and designer. The third-year quarterback and former No. 2 overall NFL draft pick will be asked to do some different things in this scheme, including increased work under center, making this offseason program even more important than it normally is.
NY Giants news: Giants sign DT Josh Tupou – Big Blue View
The New York Giants have signed DT Josh Tupou per a report. Tupou, 32, is a familiar face for John Harbaugh after spending parts of 2024 and 2025 on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. The Giants recently worked out a group of defensive tackles, including veteran Eddie Goldman, and seem to have settled on Tupou to bolster a depth chart. Tupou will fill the roster spot opened when DT Roy Robertson-Harris to a torn Achilles suffered in practice last week.
Can you guess this NFL linebacker in today’s in-5 trivia game? – SB Nation
Hello football fans! Welcome to the SB Nation NFL in-5 daily trivia game. Click on “Instructions” to learn how to play the game. Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
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