A.J. To H-Town? Texans Listed As Favorites if Eagles Trade Brown

If the Philadelphia Eagles are unable to mend fences with receiver A.J. Brown this offseason, could the Houston Texans be a landing spot?

While it feels like there's more to the story than what's known publicly, receiver A.J. Brown was clearly frustrated with the Philadelphia Eagles offense in 2023. 

Which, to be fair, is understandable considering the epic collapse that the team had after starting the season 10-1. 

The most likely scenario remains that the Eagles find a way to mend whatever fences need it this offseason with Brown. But if they don't, the Texans are seen by the oddsmakers as a team that could get involved in a trade for the star.

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In two seasons with the Eagles, Brown has 194 receptions for 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns. He's been a Second-Team All-Pro selection in both years. There's a strong case to be made that if Brown remains with the Eagles, he'll go down as one of the greatest receivers in franchise history. 

So whether it's replacing offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, or even moving on from coach Nick Sirianni, there will probably be a new plan presented to Brown that reinvigorates him heading into his third season with the Eagles. 

If not, though, there figure to be a slew of other contenders interested in the 26-year-old. Bookies.com recently put together odds for landing spots if Brown were to be traded this offseason. 

The Houston Texans had the best odds at +400, implying a 20% chance if Brown is traded he'll land in Houston. They edged out a slew of other AFC teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. 

Houston already appears to have two stars internally in Nico Collins and Tank Dell, the latter of whom is out for the season with a fractured fibula. They don't feel like a team that needs to add an established wideout the way, say, the Colts or Chiefs do. But if Brown was available, general manager Nick Caserio wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't check-in. 

The Eagles traded a first-round pick -- the No. 18 overall selection, which turned into receiver Treylon Burks -- and a third-round pick to the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 NFL Draft to acquire Brown. 

Since joining the Eagles, Brown has become an even better player, so one would think if Philadelphia is unable to keep him, general manager Howie Roseman would want at least a first-round pick back in return. 

Do Texans Have Top 2023 NFL Draft Class?

The Texans traded their own 2024 first-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for the chance to move up and draft pass rusher Will Anderson Jr., but still own the No. 23 overall pick from the Cleveland Browns by virtue of the Deshaun Watson trade.

Again, though, we would caution that a trade this offseason doesn't feel especially likely. The Eagles should be willing to bend over backward to keep Brown, who is arguably the best overall player in their organization. Beyond that, trading Brown before June 1 would leave the Eagles with over $41 million in dead cap space in 2024, per Over The Cap. 

However unlikely a trade may be between the two sides, it's still crazy to take stock of how things have changed in less than a year. Can you imagine at this time last year that the Texans would still be in the playoffs, and seen as a potential threat to trade for a core piece on the Eagles in the offseason?