When Brown Turns Purple?

Derrick Henry was a guest on Up & Adams with Kay Adams this week and during their chat, the subject of wide receiver A.J. Brown being traded to the Ravens was discussed. Naturally The King was excited about the prospects of reuniting with an old Titans teammate.

“We would gladly love to have him…Come on over, please A.J., come to Baltimore, let’s go get this ring…Him and Zay, that’d be crazy. And then Bate, Mark, gotta get Likely back. We cooking!”

“We would gladly love to have him… [Lamar] would love A.J.”

Ravens RB Derrick Henry on A.J. Brown trade rumors to Baltimore @KingHenry_2 | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/v8T8KYPhjZ

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 4, 2026

Would acquiring Brown make the Ravens better? Maybe. Would he bring some swagger to Declan Doyle’s offense? Absolutely. Will it happen? Unlikely!

The first question that needs to be addressed in a hypothetical trade is, “What would the Eagles want for Brown?” And given the salary cap ramifications for Philadelphia, the return must be compelling.

Back in 2022 when the Eagles acquired Brown from the Titans, Eagles GM Howie Roseman gave up the 18th pick in the draft to Tennessee for the rights to Brown. Four seasons later, with steadily declining production, the Eagles will never recoup that first-round pick for the 28-year-old Brown. Today, trade projections range from a 2026 2nd-round pick to a 2027 conditional 3rd-round pick.

If Brown is traded this offseason before June 1, the Eagles would incur a dead cap charge of $43,515,106. In real world terms, that means $43.5M will be uncomfortably parked on the Eagles salary cap while he runs routes for another team. If the Eagles wait until after June 1, the 2026 cap hit would be $16.4M and the balance of $27.1M would hit the Eagles cap in 2027. Unless Brown and the Eagles are at the crossroad called “irreconcilable differences”, A.J. will stay put unless some WR-starved team like the Bills offers something extraordinary.

As for the Ravens, A.J. Brown isn’t even worth considering until Eric DeCosta can fix their sieve of an offensive line. If Brown was on the Ravens roster in 2025, the season’s ultimate outcome probably wouldn’t have changed for Baltimore. But if they had a better offensive line even without Brown, they would have advanced to the postseason dance.

Fix the O-line first.

Then and only then should any consideration be given for the malcontent from Philly.

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