With the A.J. Brown saga being one of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed to have answered all questions during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that it was likely the Eagles would trade All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in a move that is expected to take place on or after June 1. While the trade has yet to go through, the Eagles seemed to have already moved on from Brown.
After trading up to the No. 20 overall pick, the Eagles selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. A move that had fans all over social media essentially sending goodbyes to Brown, who spent the past four seasons with the team.
By trading up to draft USC WR Makai Lemon, the Eagles land more insurance for June’s expected AJ Brown trade to New England. https://t.co/z7iKPAnG4Q
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2026
“WR Makai Lemon is headed to the Eagles. A.J. Brown replacement,” questioned one user.
“Drafting Makai Lemon essentially confirms it: A.J. Brown is getting traded. The handling of this situation by the Eagles is ridiculous,” said another.
“So A.J. Brown is a patriot confirmed,” wrote a third.
“And that is officially the end of A.J. Brown in Philly,” predicted another.
“Safe to say the A.J. Brown era is over in Philly,” commented another.
While Lemon appears to be trending toward having some big shoes to fill if Brown is shipped off, he was certainly a productive player for the Trojans.
This past season, he won the Biletnikoff Award and was named an All-American for USC. Lemon posted a career-high 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He joins a wide receiver room that as of writing, features Brown, DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks.
It’s unclear what Brown’s future will look like, but we do know that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will have plenty of weapons to throw to.
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