How Howie Roseman turned a disgruntled Carson Wentz into Pro Bowl WR AJ Brown
There were a lot of moving parts, but Eagles GM Howie Roseman essentially turned former franchise QB Carson Wentz into star WR AJ Brown.
A little over a year ago, Wentz wanted out of Philadelphia after a turbulent 2020 season. He was subsequently traded to Indianapolis for a 2021 third-round pick and a second-round pick that could turn into a first-rounder — as long as Wentz played 75% of the snaps.
The errant quarterback went on to play 98% of the offensive snaps — and somehow miss the postseason, awarding the Eagles the No. 16 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Wentz is now on his way to his third team in two years.
Colts are trading Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/OP9qYhGpAJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 9, 2022
At this juncture, the Eagles are holding three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Roseman wanted to migrate some of that capital to next year.
The Saints were happy to oblige, agreeing to a deal with Philadelphia in April that sent No. 16 overall (the Wentz pick) and No. 19 overall to New Orleans in exchange for No. 18 overall and a 2023 first-rounder among other picks.
This brings us to last night, where the Eagles made yet another splash after trading up to select Georgia DT Jordan Davis.
Roseman made it known that the priority this offseason was to provide Hurts with as many weapons as possible. Instead of taking an unproven talent in the draft, Philadelphia sent the No. 18 overall pick (along with pick No. 101 in the third round) to the Tennessee Titans for Pro Bowl WR AJ Brown.
“We’re really excited to have [Brown] on this team,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s a strong man, he’s quick for a big guy and he catches everything. There is no projection. You’ve seen him do it in the NFL for three years now.”
AJ BROWN TO THE EAGLES 🚨
— Overtime (@overtime) April 29, 2022
(per @AdamSchefter, via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/QPFed6lzBc
The Eagles GM has gotten a lot of scrutiny over the years for missing on premier WR talent in the draft, most notably DK Metcalf and Justin Jefferson. This year, Roseman basically said “fuck it, I can’t draft receivers for shit so I’m getting a player that I already know is good,” and traded for AJ Brown to right the ship.
“For us, A.J. Brown was somebody that we had studied coming out (of the 2019 draft) and spent a lot of time on, and we had a lot of love for A.J. Brown in that draft,” Roseman said.
Trade speculation had been surrounding Brown in recent weeks amid contract negotiations. Tennessee elected to move on from him and draft his replacement in Treylon Burks.
In summation:
- Carson Wentz traded to Colts
- Pick became #16 overall (snap conditions satisfied)
- Traded #16 overall (+ #19) for #18 overall
- Traded #18 overall (+ #101) for AJ Brown
AJ Brown has torn up the league over his first three seasons, totaling 185 receptions for nearly 3,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. Just before offseason workouts began, Brown was spotted catching passes from close friend Jalen Hurts.
Now the two will be donning the same jersey next season, partially thanks to Carson Wentz. Philly certainly wouldn’t have been able to offer Brown a 4-year, $100M extension if Wentz’s contract was still on the books.
After Day 1 of the draft, the Eagles walked away with Jordan Davis and AJ Brown while sitting pretty with two first-round selections next season.
Finessing at its finest.
With having a long and extremely tight relationship, Howie Roseman told me Jalen Hurts had been, for a while now, whispering in their ear about going and getting A.J. Brown.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 29, 2022
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