Before last night, it was obvious that receiver A.J. Brown wouldn't return to the Eagles for a fifth season with the team. Once the Eagles traded up to No. 20 to bogart Makai Lemon from the Steelers, it became obvious that Brown will not be back.Still, Eagles G.M.
Howie Roseman is committed to the bit. Here's what he said after round one, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer:"A.J. is a member of the Eagles. We don't have any trades that have been made, or that are done.
And I think for us, we're taking this one day at a time. We're going to look to improve the team tomorrow, and we'll continue to address anything that we have to with our roster, not only through this draft weekend, but we'll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason, and as we get into training camp."We continue to believe that the Eagles already have an unofficial deal in place to trade Brown to the Patriots after June 1, when the dead-money charge will be divided over two league years. It's permissible to have a handshake deal, and there's no requirement that it be announced.There's also no requirement that both teams proceed.It requires a basic level of trust and a leap of faith that both sides will honor the handshake deal. Unless someone reneges (or Brown fails the physical), Brown will be a Patriot on June 2.