Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith signed a three-year contract extension worth $75 million, and $51 million of it will be guaranteed. Also, Smith will be with the franchise through the 2028 season. This signing makes one thing clear, wide receiver A.J. Brown could be traded sooner rather than later.
There were times last season when Brown was not happy on the Eagles sideline. Smith caught 81 passes for 1,066 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. He also averaged 13.2 yards per reception.
As for A.J. Brown, he caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, along with averaging 13.7 yards per catch. According to Spotrac, the Eagles can get out of his contract after the 2024 season otherwise he won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season.
He is one of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL. There were games last season when people thought why did the Tennessee Titans trade him in the first place? The Eagles could move off of him, but it would be better if they did not do it.
Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith Does Not Make A.J. Brown Expendable Because They Both Work Well Together
Smith has the talent to be the number one wide receiver on the Eagles roster, but he works well as the number two wide receiver behind A.J. Brown. If Philadelphia were to trade Brown, they don’t have much depth outside of him and DeVonta Smith.
Both of those wide receivers went over 1,000 yards a season ago. A.J. Brown was targeted 158 times last season and DeVonta Smith was targeted 112 times. Quarterback Jalen Hurts did not play as well a season ago for Philadelphia as he did when they went to the Super Bowl.
If the Eagles did put A.J. Brown on the market, there would be a lot of teams lining up to call general manager Howie Roseman. Roseman would be able to get a better return for him than the Tennessee Titans did, but Brown is a top-five caliber wide receiver in the league.
Smith would be the number one wide receiver on the roster if the Eagles did shop Brown. Now is not the time to trade A.J. Brown just because DeVonta Smith signed his contract extension with Philadelphia. They need to be together for at least another season and if doesn’t go well, then they could figure out other plans later.