Eagles Clips
A report on Monday indicated the Patriots are “likely” to acquire Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in a trade after June 1.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was asked about Adam Schefter’s report on Tuesday. Vrabel initially asked what the report was.
“No. I mean, I think we are going to continue to try to strengthen our team,” Vrabel said, via Brian Hines of patspulpit.com. “The first focus is going to be on Thursday night and making sure that we get that right, and then we’ll focus on Friday. Saturday is always an important day.
“Just to continue to build our roster. Eliot [Wolf] and Ryan [Cowden] will have numerous conversations with different teams, but our first focus is gonna be on the draft.”
Brown is not attending the Eagles’ voluntary offseason program as he seeks clarity on his future.
Vrabel previously coached Brown with the Titans.
The Packers traded receiver Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles earlier this month, receiving a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for the receiver.
In his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst framed the deal as one that should work out well for Wicks and Green Bay for different reasons. With several talented players at receiver on the Packers’ roster, Wicks may have had trouble breaking through that group for a definite future with the franchise.
“It’s always tough to move off of a player that you feel is as good as Dontayvion was for us,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s got a really bright career ahead of him. The situation we were kind of in with the amount of players we had in that room, what we’re probably going to do in the future, him being in the last year of his contract, it just made a little bit of sense. This year, coming out of the ’22 draft class, I think we were lucky enough to have retained a bunch of those guys. But a bunch of those guys signed elsewhere this year, too — we’re probably going to get compensatory picks for those players. I don’t know for sure if we’re going to be able to do that moving forward next year and the year after.
“So, the ability to get two picks for a player that we weren’t sure exactly how he was going to fit into our future plans, it just made a lot of sense. And I think it was good for us, and I think it’s going to be good for Dontayvion, too, I think he’ll see his opportunities increase there as well.”
Without Wicks, the Packers currently have Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Jakobie Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor, and Will Sheppard on their roster at wideout.
Additionally, Gutekunst noted that the picks the team received for Wicks should help with flexibility for this week’s draft.
“Every G.M. wants as many as you can [have], not only because of the players you can select, but the ability to move,” Gutekunst said. “You never like giving them up, but if there’s a player in front of you that you know you’re going to acquire, it makes it a little bit easier. So, yeah, I think we sit with eight right now. We’re looking at 11-plus for next year. So, whether it’s in this year’s draft, next year’s, the ability to move around to acquire the types of players we want to acquire, you have to have those picks to do that.”
Wicks caught 30 passes for 332 yards with two touchdowns for the Packers in 2025. In his 46 career games since being selected in the fifth- round of the 2023 draft, Wicks has caught 108 passes for 1,328 yards with 11 TDs.
The World Cup is coming to multiple NFL stadiums. And the costs associated with getting to and from the venues will differ significantly among some of the cities.
In New Jersey, the cost for a return rail trip from MetLife Stadium to Penn Station in New York after one of the various World Cup matches will be $150. The trip usually costs $12.90.
In Philadelphia, the local host committee has secured free travel for fans leaving World Cup matches via the city’s transit system.
FIFA has complained about the New Jersey plan. “The NJ Transit current pricing model will have a chilling effect,” FIFA said in a statement. “Elevated fares inevitably push fans toward alternative transportation options. This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup.”
In Boston, round-trip bus services to and from Gillette Stadium for World Cup matches will cost $95.
The numbers in New Jersey and Massachusetts are stunning, but that’s what happens when big events come to town. FIFA be damned.
At this point, it’s too late for FIFA to do anything about it. Other than to give a made-up award to Philly.
They can call it the FIFA price prize.
When it comes to the Eagles and trades, there’s been a heavy recent focus on receiver A.J. Brown.
But Philadelphia also has had interest in adding an edge rusher.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles and Vikings have engaged in trade talks about defensive end Jonathan Greenard multiple times during the offseason.
Minnesota is seeking a “premium Day 2 pick” in exchange for Greenard, Schefter reports. The Eagles currently hold No. 54 overall in the second round, plus No. 68 and No. 98 in the third round.
Philadelphia’s interest in adding an edge rusher, however, goes beyond Greenard, according to Schefter.
Greenard, 28, has spent the last two seasons with the Vikings. He was a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2024, recording 12.0 sacks with 18 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits. In 2025, he was limited to 12 games with 10 starts, recording 3.0 sacks, 10 TFLs, and 12 QB hits along with three passes defensed with one forced fumble.
The current belief around the NFL is that wide receiver A.J. Brown will be playing for the Patriots come the start of the regular season, but Brown remains on the Eagles roster as the team starts their offseason program this week.
Brown is not expected to be part of that work, however. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Brown will not attend the Eagles’ offseason work as he waits for clarity on his future.
A trade that sends Brown to the Patriots is reportedly likely to come after June 1 for cap purposes. All work for the Eagles and Patriots is voluntary until they hold mandatory minicamps later in June.
DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, and Hollywood Brown are the top Eagles wideouts who are expected to be on the team’s roster come September.
A.J. Brown is still an Eagle, but he’ll probably be a Patriot in about six weeks.
The veteran wide receiver is “likely” to be traded to the Patriots after June 1, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Eagles want to wait until after June 1 because of salary cap accounting: The Eagles will take a $40 million cap hit when they trade Brown, and NFL rules allow teams to split the cap hit between 2026 and 2027 for trades after June 1. Before June 1, the whole $40 million would count toward the Eagles’ 2026 cap.
The trade is not done now, and it’s still possible that some other team could come along and offer the Eagles more for Brown than the Patriots are offering, or that the planned trade could get derailed for other reasons. But based on what is known at the moment, Brown appears headed to New England.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel previously coached Brown with the Titans and would like to coach him again. There’s been no word on what the Patriots will send back to the Eagles for Brown, but one or more Patriots 2027 or 2028 draft picks would appear to be on the way to Philly when Brown is on his way to New England.
The World Cup is coming soon. And it’s quickly becoming a pain in the posterior for the 13 teams playing in stadiums that will be commandeered for intercontinental soccer.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reviewed some of the practical impacts of FIFA bigfooting the various venues where fútbol will be played. This week, for example, the Jets and Giants will move their annual draft parties away from MetLife Stadium to Manhattan.
In all, 13 teams are impacted by the World Cup: the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Texans, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Patriots, and Dolphins.
For the teams that have employees at the stadiums hosting World Cup games, many will be moved. Those who are staying put will be subject to FIFA credentialing to get into their workplaces. And the Giants will start training camp in West Virginia, since MetLife Stadium will be hosting the final match on July 19 on a grass field that will need to be removed and replaced with one of the worst artificial surfaces in the entire league.
That last part still has to be the most galling for NFL players. Owners with stadiums that don’t have grass have bent over backwards to do whatever had to be done to placate FIFA. Their regular employees, however, will still be stuck with a lesser (and far cheaper) playing surface.
The various sacrifices involuntarily made by the players and other team employees should prompt FIFA to give them all a phony, made-up award. Especially since FIFA has already done that, for far less.
Former Bears and Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery has denied allegations in California of insurance fraud.
Earlier this week, TMZ reported that Jeffery was arrested and charged with a felony that carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. The Philadelphia Inquirer has more details, along with Jeffery’s denial.
The specific accusation is that Jeffery had been involved in an automobile accident on September 21, 2025. His insurance allegedly had lapsed. He thereafter purchased a new policy on September 24 and allegedly claimed the accident happened on September 28.
Denise White of EAG Sports Management told the Inquirer that the allegations are “unfounded.” She called the situation “a misunderstanding and nothing more.”
If it’s a misunderstanding, Jeffery’s top priority should be to get the prosecutors to understand. Instead, he reportedly failed to appear in court March 9. That led to the warrant for his arrest. He was freed on $25,000 bond. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, April 23.
The case should be very simple to clarify. When did the accident happen? When was the insurance policy purchased? Did Jeffery have insurance in place when the accident happened?
A second-round pick in 2012, Jeffery spent five years with the Bears and four with the Eagles. He was a member of the Super Bowl LII-winning team in Philly.
Nick Foles is a beloved figure in Philly. He led the team to its first Super Bowl win. And he hardly has a reputation for being a guy who says controversial things for the sake of attention.
As to the question of the offseason for the Eagles — will they trade receiver A.J. Brown? — Foles has some information. He recently shared it on The SZN with Nick Foles & Evan Moore.
“They have a first-year coordinator in Sean Mannion,” Foles said. “You don’t want to deal with, you know, what they dealt with last year with A.J. Now, A.J. had merit looking back. Like, why was he frustrated? Well, it was the concepts of the offense and how it was [run] with Kevin Patullo. Looking back, that’s maybe what the frustration was. Was it with Jalen Hurts? I don’t know. I’m not in the facility. No idea. But because of those things and different people I know around the league that know A.J. a little bit . . .what I’ve gathered is, [he] wants to be traded, but I also think like he wants to be traded to specific places.
“I think New England would make a lot of sense because of his history [with coach Mike] Vrabel. I think that’s obvious, right? And I think he even said he grew up a Patriots fan, if I’m correct. So that would be like two-fold situation. But really because [G.M. Howie Roseman’s] not shutting it down. That’s a big thing. And he’s gonna have a lot of strategy behind it. He’s gonna get something he wants by — I think it’s going to come to a point where he realized last year was very difficult. This is Howie. And he doesn’t want to do that again with a first-year coordinator. If A.J. Brown’s not happy, which seems like he’s not super happy in Philly, but he’s got to give the lip service to say he is. They’re gonna try to find a way to hopefully make it right for him and make it right for the Eagles. And I’d imagine that Howie really respects A.J. And hopefully A.J. respects Howie to where they try to do right by each other and figure out a way that where A.J.'s happy and the Eagles are happy sort of thing.”
Foles added that, a couple of weeks ago, he thought there was an 80-percent chance Brown would not be traded. Foles said he’s not at “50-50" as to a trade occurring. Based on what Foles said after that, it sounds as if he’s at least at 51-49: “I do think he’ll get traded before the start of the season. Not sure when. I do think the New England Patriots make a lot of sense.”
June 1 continues to be the key date. After June 1, the Eagles would not take a cap acceleration in 2026; any dead money for 2027 and beyond would hit the salary cap in 2027.
And it’s possible that the Eagles already have a wink-nod deal in place with a specific team, perhaps the Patriots, after June 1. If so, there’s no reason for either side to blurt it out before the draft. The Eagles should let other teams think they may not be thinking about taking a receiver with any of their various picks, and the Patriots should let other teams think they could.
After the draft, it can then be announced that, come June 2, Brown will be a Patriot. Pending a physical, as we learned last month.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
