Acquired on draft night in 2022, wide receiver A.J. Brown instantly changed the passing game and entire offense for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brown set the team’s franchise single-season record in 2022 with 1,496 receiving yards and, a year later, set an NFL record with six straight games of 125-plus receiving yards (Weeks 3-8 in 2023). He’s become the favorite target of QB Jalen Hurts even after a viral sideline exchange between the two early in the 2023 season.
That exchange wasn’t the only time Brown made headlines for the wrong reasons. In January of 2024, he scrubbed his social media accounts the week before Philly’s Wild Card game, — which the Eagles lost — later insisting it wasn’t about football. Then, after the team’s 4-0 start this season, he took to social media to post a cryptic Bible verse about not being “welcomed.”
Once again, Brown downplayed it, but the Eagles haven’t won since (they’re 4-2) and head coach Nick Sirianni and several of Brown’s teammates had to answer questions about it. Could all the dramatics lead to Brown getting traded? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports put together a few trade proposals, with one involving the Pittsburgh Steelers, that is particularly interesting.
Eagles Trade Proposal Sends A.J. Brown, DE to Steelers in Exchange for TE Pat Freiermuth, Edge Alex Highsmith
GettyA new trade idea would send AJ Brown to the Steelers in exchange for Alex Highsmith and Pat Freiermuth.
In his proposal, Benjamin has the Eagles sending Brown to Pittsburgh in exchange for tight end Pat Freiermuth, edge rusher Alex Highsmith and a 2026 third-round pick.
“Why on Earth would the Steelers deal for Brown when they already spent picks and big money to land Brown’s former college teammate, DK Metcalf, this offseason? Because they’re all in on winning with Aaron Rodgers this year, and their 4-1 start suggests they’ll remain aggressive in roster-building,” Benjamin wrote, explaining further:
“Freiermuth doesn’t have a major role in Steel City anymore, but he might offer both blocking and pass-catching depth as a potential Dallas Goedert successor. Highsmith, meanwhile, is often nicked up but a proven edge rusher (29 sacks, 56 quarterback hits since 2022) to help fill the Eagles’ blatant need there. Philadelphia might also send one of its own reserve pass-rushers, like Azeez Ojulari, back to Pittsburgh in this scenario.”
Why a Trade Like This Is Unlikely in 2025
Freiermuth is one of the more complete young tight ends in the league right now. He’s a solid blocker, a receiving threat and at still entering his prime. In 2024 he had a career-best year, finishing with 65 catches for 653 yards and seven touchdowns.
Over his first five seasons, Highsmith has played in 77 games (66 starts) and has amassed 281 total tackles (172 solo), 35.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, three interceptions, seven passes defensed and 49 tackles for loss.
There’s no doubt both players are difference-makers, and if the Steelers were willing to part with them both — and that’s a big if — this would be a great deal for Philly.
That said, trading Brown before the deadline this year is unrealistic. He remains a central part of the offense, and he’s under team control through 2029. If tensions do boil over and things become untenable, the more plausible scenario would be an offseason conversation.
The Eagles signed Brown to a $96 million extension in 2024, and trading him right now would leave over $16 million in dead money on the books for this year alone. If the Eagles want to move on from Brown, a restructure and trade in 2026 feels like the best bet.
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