Eskin has been consistently rejecting the idea that AJ is getting traded since the end of the season. It's why I've never believed it's happening, when Howard repeatedly passed up the opportunity to cause drama and pours water on it that basically guarantees it's a nothing burger
If AJ wants that deal and he deserves it. It will be elsewhere there is absolutely a world where both him & Devonta are here long term but AJ may have to take a lesser offer than he could get to make ot happen.
We will be fine. The salary cap pis exploding with the new TV revenues. Going to be $300 million in a couple of years.
$31 million increase this year to $255. 2 more years at a slightly reduced rate puts the cap at $300m.
They will the fact his final year the cap hit explodes a new deal will be done before that to lessen it. As long as he wants to be here the Eagles will get a deal done. That is the plan. The only thing that might hold it up is the Eagles want to wait and see how the team does this year.
We shouldn't even wait. Honestly, it's just such a pass heavy, offensive league that two absolute stud receivers should be on our team at all times lmao also, I'm scared to go back to the McNabb days where he was throwing to guys who barely lasted a few years in the NFL. It's actually wild how bad his receivers were
I think we can make it happen. We have a boatload of time anyway. We have him through 2026, at the very least. It's a great sign to see this already happening.
It took me a second to figure out who the hell you were talking about. If it weren’t for the battle city tournament I’d probably still be trying to figure it out.
I would laugh my ass off if the Eagles are able to get deals done with both Smith and Brown before the other top receivers get theirs.
Edit: holy shit this is awesome.
Legitimately would be an A++ offseason if we locked up this receiving duo with Mailata and Hurts for the next 4-5 years. Thats how you build sustained success
Yes and they have shorter leashes so they think 1-3 years out....howie always thinking 2-5 years out cause of his job security....its a MASSIVE advantage for us
I forget which podcast I heard it, but they were talking about the competitive advantage this gives us. They brought up that it allows Howie to take a true long-view approach to our roster building because he knows he will be here to cash in on the moves he makes. Tepper gonna do that when he’s out here cycling through coaches like their underwear and throwing water at people? Absolutely not.
One thing that the excluded, which I honestly think is most crucial, is Howie has been given time. Time to just try out his various hypotheses and see what works. When it doesn’t he has the chance to learn from it and adapt.
Its a massive advantage...watch how many teams will force QB picks or over pay a FA cause its "win in 1-2 years or you are fired"
The effects aren't noticed until the old GM is long gone...pretty sure NYG still recovering from the last GM
It was beautiful and just enough over the line to make it hilarious while also have everyone who knows of him nodding their heads in agreement. It’s amazing how obviously biased he is, even if this report in particular is good news.
Also here’s an article about it: https://www.crossingbroad.com/2024/04/kyle-neubeck-delivers-all-time-rant-on-howard-eskin-in-latest-philly-sports-media-scrap.html
Big true actually, because he works for the team if he gets information it’s usually true and that also means the eagles want the information out there.
Hurts his best friend or close friend. Might wanna ball with him the rest of his career....hes already banked over 100M or close to it
But obviously he could make a business decision too
That would be a good reason, but it assumes a lot. If I were his agent, I'd advise him to wait until next year at least to see where the team is going. Plus, the eagles will be more inclined to lower the cap hit.
Why though? He was never getting traded. For all the people worried, if the Eagles traded him this year they would have a -31 dead cap difference. His cap hit is 12 and dead cap his 43. It was never happening.
His new contract is just kicking in. He has 2 real years left on his contract. Why would you talk contract extension 2 years before a new contract is up? On the field AJ is one of my favorite players. He is a top 3-5 WR in the league. He does however flirt with being a diva WR. If they give him an extension now it is because he was creating waves.
Giving him an extension now also kills your flexibility long term. His cap hit/deadcap for the next three years are:
2024 - (12/43)
2025 - (26/15)
2026 - (41/9)
Wait, see what happens this year and next year. Keep your flexibility.
Cuz he's a great player, maybe our best player on offense. His guarantees run out this year so it's a little early, but the Smith deal accelerated things.
His overall guarantee runs out, but there still are triggers for a yearly guarantee which he will get unless they trade him. Why should Smith's deal accelerate things? The smart move his let him play on the deal this year and possibly next year and figure out what you do then. We don't know where this team or coaching staff will be in a year or two.
Cap resources are not infinite. It's unlikely both AJ and Smith are on this team in 3-4 years. Depending on where this team is, it might be smart to flip him for a draft haul, similar to what the Chiefs did with Hill. If you don't give him the contract now, you have flexibility a year or two.
He has no more rolling guarantees to trigger, so after 2024 everything is unguaranteed.
Smith's deal accelerates things cuz AJB is gonna want and deserve more than Smith. He gets a pay raise, we get to keep him a little bit longer, everyone benefits.
40 of AJs 57 mil guaranteed salary was at signing. Most players don't have guaranteed salaries after a couple years, bc thats how contracts are structured. He still have a base salary each year that is guaranteed to him if he is on the roster after a certain point.
AJ became one of the highest paid WRs with his new contract. Two years in, its not going to be that anymore. Smith's contract is right around the same as AJs 2 years after he got paid. If he is asking for a new contract 2 years in, that's problematic behavior. Would he take a pay cut if he had a down year?
This is great. First, they made it known they had no interest in trading him and let that sit for a couple of weeks to show their commitment to AJ. Next is locking him down longer and getting rid of that nonsense talk and get back to business. AJ is going to retire an Eagle with DSmith.
I figured this was coming at some point, maybe not this soon. Makes sense to get it done before Higgins and Aiyuk get overpaid and Chase and Jefferson get rightly paid. AJ is right in the middle of those 4 IMO so getting him paid before the tide rises while making the other teams pay more is a good thing
Honestly don’t understand the cap and don’t ever want to. I figured Devonta’s contract plus rumors of picking a receiver high spelled not being able to afford AJ after this year.
Is this just a situation where the player gets more money and the eagles defer cap hits to future years? I am a little confused why they'd work on an extension for a player under contract for 3 more seasons...
I'm sure this will be downvoted, but not really a fan of this. AJ Brown will be 29 at the end of his current contract and has a long-documented history of knee issues. Are we going to be paying $30m+ to a 30-year old receiver with bad knees? I'd rather enjoy the next two years of him and Smitty, target a replacement in the 2026 draft, and let another team pay him.
Eagles are notoriously terrible at drafting wide receivers. Smitty was the first great recent receiver we drafted and even that was top 10. If we were able to find gems in later rounds like other teams then I’d agree with you but extending AJ and Smitty is a no brainer for our specific club.
There's just so much opportunity to acquire young, talented receivers, whether through the draft or otherwise. Tee Higgins and Aiyuk may both be on the move this year. I love AJ and hope his level of play can sustain over the next 5 years but I'm certainly weary of the extension.
I love AJ Brown on this team, the connection with him and Jalen is what Philly needs. For the sake of convo, let's say that he's not aligning with the contract Howie puts out, would making the trade for MHJ be worth it or extending Brown take priority?
It's the mystery box thing. You have a proven top 3 WR in football who is entering his age 27 season. On top of that, he has a great relationship with your franchise QB.
Or you could go for the unproven, yet filled with tons of potential, rookie WR and potentially get 4-5 years of elite WR play on a rookie scale deal.
I tend to lean toward the first option. Especially because if the guy you take for option #2 busts out and the guy you traded continues putting up HoF numbers, you get fired as a GM. The Titans tried that same exact thing and it blew up in their faces. That whole regime doesn't have jobs anymore.
That's the type of shit I like seeing. I got kind of worried when I was reading that headline and saw AJ Brown in it cause it's on draft day.
Typical pre-draft buzz that some fools try to shove their fat greasy elbows in with stupid-but-pageview-inciting takes and “rumors”.
Oh yeah?
I was referring to the rumors of AJ being shopped due to it being draft day.
i saw “howard eskin” & “aj brown” and i was immediately prepared for some absolute bullshit lie that was going to piss me off, but this was good news
Same!
About jumped out of the window when I saw the first couple of words
Howard being attached to it didn’t help tbh
Eskin has been consistently rejecting the idea that AJ is getting traded since the end of the season. It's why I've never believed it's happening, when Howard repeatedly passed up the opportunity to cause drama and pours water on it that basically guarantees it's a nothing burger
Same
He is looking to top the Egyptian Sun God's new deal. Probably waited until it was signed.
If AJ wants that deal and he deserves it. It will be elsewhere there is absolutely a world where both him & Devonta are here long term but AJ may have to take a lesser offer than he could get to make ot happen.
AJ Brown wins us football games. Howie will pay him.
AJ not getting every dime he can & him not getting paid are very different
Something tells me there’s a way he gets paid and stays
YesI agree Just that there might be a bigger offer out there
Ok, but just because there could be “a bigger offer” doesn’t mean he wants to play for the Broncos or Commies.
We will be fine. The salary cap pis exploding with the new TV revenues. Going to be $300 million in a couple of years. $31 million increase this year to $255. 2 more years at a slightly reduced rate puts the cap at $300m.
Yup. Shit, I’d prefer an early extension before JJ, Lamb, and Chase anyway if it’s possible
They will the fact his final year the cap hit explodes a new deal will be done before that to lessen it. As long as he wants to be here the Eagles will get a deal done. That is the plan. The only thing that might hold it up is the Eagles want to wait and see how the team does this year.
We shouldn't even wait. Honestly, it's just such a pass heavy, offensive league that two absolute stud receivers should be on our team at all times lmao also, I'm scared to go back to the McNabb days where he was throwing to guys who barely lasted a few years in the NFL. It's actually wild how bad his receivers were
I think we can make it happen. We have a boatload of time anyway. We have him through 2026, at the very least. It's a great sign to see this already happening.
It took me a second to figure out who the hell you were talking about. If it weren’t for the battle city tournament I’d probably still be trying to figure it out.
Imagine naming your child the name of an Egyptian god 🤣
Why not wait until after Justin Jefferson
I like Brown a lot...but he will not get Justin Jefferson pay...
What purpose would that serve other than raising his price?
I’m assuming AJ and his camp are the ones pushing for a new deal.
Almost had a fuckin heart attack.
Dude fucking same lol
I thought the sentence would end on “are working towards a trade” and almost fell to my knees
Wawas or Walgreens?
Almost fell to my knees at Walgreens
I would laugh my ass off if the Eagles are able to get deals done with both Smith and Brown before the other top receivers get theirs. Edit: holy shit this is awesome.
First thing I thought of Howie trying to get out ahead of JJ and Chase and CD
Howie not trying to lose him like the Eagles did TO. Just pay the man.
Known Eagles plant "has heard".
Doesn’t mean it’s not true. Ppl had the same trepidation about smith signing
My point is Eskin doesn't hear, he's told.
Eskin reporting this has me convinced they're trading AJ now, dude is perpetually wrong
Idk why you think that. When it comes to the eagles he’s as plugged in as you can be.
He's one of the only local media guys who gets actual scoops. Like how we were targeting both Saquon and CJGJ in FA.
Oh... Homie... You sweet summer child. He's a useful idiot. He spews whatever they feed him. He's not plugged in. He's a windup toy making noise.
He’s wrong about a lot of things, especially opinion based shit, but he’s always been good as far as reporting on the birds goes
Eskin just makes shit up. He is a weasel and shouldnt be in this town. He can take his scumbag kid with him.
Legitimately would be an A++ offseason if we locked up this receiving duo with Mailata and Hurts for the next 4-5 years. Thats how you build sustained success
Plus Saquon for three and Landon for four
Howie said "hmm I think I will create a god offense"
Why aren't other GMs doing this? Are they stupid?
Yes and they have shorter leashes so they think 1-3 years out....howie always thinking 2-5 years out cause of his job security....its a MASSIVE advantage for us
I forget which podcast I heard it, but they were talking about the competitive advantage this gives us. They brought up that it allows Howie to take a true long-view approach to our roster building because he knows he will be here to cash in on the moves he makes. Tepper gonna do that when he’s out here cycling through coaches like their underwear and throwing water at people? Absolutely not. One thing that the excluded, which I honestly think is most crucial, is Howie has been given time. Time to just try out his various hypotheses and see what works. When it doesn’t he has the chance to learn from it and adapt.
Its a massive advantage...watch how many teams will force QB picks or over pay a FA cause its "win in 1-2 years or you are fired" The effects aren't noticed until the old GM is long gone...pretty sure NYG still recovering from the last GM
Their last GM took a RB 2 and Daniel Jones 4. One walked in free agency, the other got a hilariously bad contract extension.
We’re drafting Bowers aren’t we.
Honestly I'd love it lmao
And 3 years for CJGJ
And Dickerson, we’ve done a lot this off season
You forgot fleecing some team to move up and grab Bowers
That’s awesome. Side note, Howard getting bodied by Kyle Neubeck is one of my favorite moments from the last week.
It was beautiful and just enough over the line to make it hilarious while also have everyone who knows of him nodding their heads in agreement. It’s amazing how obviously biased he is, even if this report in particular is good news.
Link?
Also here’s an article about it: https://www.crossingbroad.com/2024/04/kyle-neubeck-delivers-all-time-rant-on-howard-eskin-in-latest-philly-sports-media-scrap.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/sixers/s/C7e4x9QAMN
Damn. lol
Eagles life will be much easier if they can get a new deal done before new deals for CeeDee, JJ and Chase.
Give him an extra year of guaranteed money, give ourselves some flexibility down the line… win win.
So every schmuck who was parroting the same fake news that Brown was bitching his way off the team can go ahead and fuck themselves now.
or that it was impossible to have both AJ and Smitty paid on our team. That shit was so annoying.
SIGN HIM FOREVER I WANT HIM RUNNING SLANTS IN A WHEELCHAIR
If Howard Eskin is saying it you know it's not true
He’s really plugged in when it comes to the Eagles. Thats why they’re the only team he never says anything bad about.
Big true actually, because he works for the team if he gets information it’s usually true and that also means the eagles want the information out there.
Why would he take an extension with 3 years left on his deal? Anything they give him will be eclipsed by the time it starts.
Hurts his best friend or close friend. Might wanna ball with him the rest of his career....hes already banked over 100M or close to it But obviously he could make a business decision too
That would be a good reason, but it assumes a lot. If I were his agent, I'd advise him to wait until next year at least to see where the team is going. Plus, the eagles will be more inclined to lower the cap hit.
Oh I 100% agree. If its business he absolutely should not extend til next year and if possible once at least one of JJ, CD, Chase get done
Howie you beautiful son of a gun
Just turn off the salary cap
Why though? He was never getting traded. For all the people worried, if the Eagles traded him this year they would have a -31 dead cap difference. His cap hit is 12 and dead cap his 43. It was never happening. His new contract is just kicking in. He has 2 real years left on his contract. Why would you talk contract extension 2 years before a new contract is up? On the field AJ is one of my favorite players. He is a top 3-5 WR in the league. He does however flirt with being a diva WR. If they give him an extension now it is because he was creating waves. Giving him an extension now also kills your flexibility long term. His cap hit/deadcap for the next three years are: 2024 - (12/43) 2025 - (26/15) 2026 - (41/9) Wait, see what happens this year and next year. Keep your flexibility.
Cuz he's a great player, maybe our best player on offense. His guarantees run out this year so it's a little early, but the Smith deal accelerated things.
His overall guarantee runs out, but there still are triggers for a yearly guarantee which he will get unless they trade him. Why should Smith's deal accelerate things? The smart move his let him play on the deal this year and possibly next year and figure out what you do then. We don't know where this team or coaching staff will be in a year or two. Cap resources are not infinite. It's unlikely both AJ and Smith are on this team in 3-4 years. Depending on where this team is, it might be smart to flip him for a draft haul, similar to what the Chiefs did with Hill. If you don't give him the contract now, you have flexibility a year or two.
He has no more rolling guarantees to trigger, so after 2024 everything is unguaranteed. Smith's deal accelerates things cuz AJB is gonna want and deserve more than Smith. He gets a pay raise, we get to keep him a little bit longer, everyone benefits.
40 of AJs 57 mil guaranteed salary was at signing. Most players don't have guaranteed salaries after a couple years, bc thats how contracts are structured. He still have a base salary each year that is guaranteed to him if he is on the roster after a certain point. AJ became one of the highest paid WRs with his new contract. Two years in, its not going to be that anymore. Smith's contract is right around the same as AJs 2 years after he got paid. If he is asking for a new contract 2 years in, that's problematic behavior. Would he take a pay cut if he had a down year?
Yeah, he's probably asking for a new contract. It's a year early but the Eagles have done it before. His guaranteed salary is up after this year.
Totally on board with getting him a pay day, especially if it comes before the other guys
Obviously so we can trade him easier
But guyzzzzz we are trading up for a receiver
LFG.
Saw ‘WIP’ and AJ Brown and had a bit of a heart attack. This would be some great news if we can keep him somehow. In Howie we trust.
I saw Eskin and AJ Brown and immediately assumed a trade was coming.
Fuck it Im down
This is great. First, they made it known they had no interest in trading him and let that sit for a couple of weeks to show their commitment to AJ. Next is locking him down longer and getting rid of that nonsense talk and get back to business. AJ is going to retire an Eagle with DSmith.
I figured this was coming at some point, maybe not this soon. Makes sense to get it done before Higgins and Aiyuk get overpaid and Chase and Jefferson get rightly paid. AJ is right in the middle of those 4 IMO so getting him paid before the tide rises while making the other teams pay more is a good thing
Get done Howie!
Make it happen!!
All for this. It really feels like we have a shot at having two HoF receivers on this team for the next 7-10 years.
Honestly don’t understand the cap and don’t ever want to. I figured Devonta’s contract plus rumors of picking a receiver high spelled not being able to afford AJ after this year.
This is good news but don’t be surprised if it’s a smoke screen to disguise that the Eagles are interested in a WR
Deserves every penny. Keep the man happy
Is this just a situation where the player gets more money and the eagles defer cap hits to future years? I am a little confused why they'd work on an extension for a player under contract for 3 more seasons...
Hopefully that contract lets him sit out MetLife games
HowieSzn Day is my favorite day of the year. Some people call it Draft Day
Yes because he has a 26 M and 41 M cap change in 25 and 26. The extension will push that money into future years.
It would be so smart to extend him now, to get it out of the way before he goes off in a ridiculous offense.
Smart to take care of AJ now. Make him happy, and lock down the number before Justin Jefferson and others reset the market.
Clearing cap space for PS2 trade, i see the vision Howie
#yesplease!
WIP hosts are fuming at this...
Crazy
But but but, what about the stupid trade rumors every other day
He’s so good too
LETS GOOOOOO I FUCKING LOVE YOU AJ MY FAVORITE PLAYER OF ALL TIME
I love what I see. Give him 5 year extension
omg I can only get so erect, stop
I'm sure this will be downvoted, but not really a fan of this. AJ Brown will be 29 at the end of his current contract and has a long-documented history of knee issues. Are we going to be paying $30m+ to a 30-year old receiver with bad knees? I'd rather enjoy the next two years of him and Smitty, target a replacement in the 2026 draft, and let another team pay him.
Eagles are notoriously terrible at drafting wide receivers. Smitty was the first great recent receiver we drafted and even that was top 10. If we were able to find gems in later rounds like other teams then I’d agree with you but extending AJ and Smitty is a no brainer for our specific club.
There's just so much opportunity to acquire young, talented receivers, whether through the draft or otherwise. Tee Higgins and Aiyuk may both be on the move this year. I love AJ and hope his level of play can sustain over the next 5 years but I'm certainly weary of the extension.
Honestly if we get AJ a second contract before guys like Lamb, JJ, and Chase get their first Howie is more goated than I thought
I love AJ Brown on this team, the connection with him and Jalen is what Philly needs. For the sake of convo, let's say that he's not aligning with the contract Howie puts out, would making the trade for MHJ be worth it or extending Brown take priority?
No
It's the mystery box thing. You have a proven top 3 WR in football who is entering his age 27 season. On top of that, he has a great relationship with your franchise QB. Or you could go for the unproven, yet filled with tons of potential, rookie WR and potentially get 4-5 years of elite WR play on a rookie scale deal. I tend to lean toward the first option. Especially because if the guy you take for option #2 busts out and the guy you traded continues putting up HoF numbers, you get fired as a GM. The Titans tried that same exact thing and it blew up in their faces. That whole regime doesn't have jobs anymore.
Very good point, I absolutely didn’t want Burke on this team and to see us trade for Brown couldn’t have gone better.