In a conversation last Thursday, a league executive considered the twists and turns of the A.J. Brown trade saga.
Few around the league doubt whether the (for now) Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver is a strong talent. Few doubt, either, his production. But as four days of legal tampering and then deal-making passed, and Brown remained on the team that seems intent on moving him, an executive considered reasons why.
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Compensation between trade partners, salary cap implications and Brown’s physical health all are complicating trade scenarios. But the executive added, after breaking down those factors, a comment that would soon prove ironic.
“If he was 27,” the executive said of Brown, “maybe it’d be different.”
On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins seemed to agree.
The Dolphins dealt 27-year-old speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos on Tuesday in a deal with compensation eerily similar to what many in the league believe the Eagles are targeting in a trade for Brown.
Denver sent its first-round draft pick and a third-round pick to Miami to acquire Waddle. The teams also swapped fourth-round picks.
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At first glance, Miami’s value seemed excellent. A first-round pick and more for a receiver who wasn’t top 10 in major metrics last season? And on second glance, the compensation is still strong.
But the first-round pick that Denver sent Miami was not a top-10, or even top-20, slot in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Broncos dealt the 30th overall pick — which comes with first-round benefits like a fifth-year option but also precedes the second round by just three picks. In a draft considered shallow at high-end talent and at premium positions, the Dolphins’ top pick may land them a talent more akin to historical second-round value.
And yet: They acquired a first-round pick.
Could a trade of the Eagles’ A.J. Brown yield about the same returns that the…
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