While nothing appears imminent, Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown continues to be included in trade speculation to kick off the 2026 offseason. This is great news for the Chicago Bears, who have every reason to want to turn the page from DJ Moore and could benefit from this situation. Monday morning, The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain and Dan Wiederer noted that, "If you’re in the A.J. Brown market and Philly moves him but you’re a team that loses out, DJ feels like a pretty comfortable fallback.”
This should be tied to recent comments from ESPN NFL Insider Peter Schrager, who noted that while Brown wasn't being actively shopped, the Eagles would pick up the phone if interested teamsreached out. Leading us to look at the potential trade price for Moore after a team misses out on Brown or Philadelphia opts to keep the star receiver. It seems that there is an expectation that Chicago could garner a fourth-round pick or a conditional third in exchange for the star.
Chicago being able to add an impact fit, while also freeing up the cap space currently used by Moore, would be incredible. According to Spotrac, trading Moore after June 1 will free up $24.5 million in cap space, adding that financial flexibility on top of potentially getting another valuable draft pick, and fans wouldn't be able to help but be excited about what any deal might mean for the Bears' roster moving forward. A potential trade that Brown is clearly helping, no matter how things play out with the problematic pass catcher.
Bears will Clearly Benefit from Philadelphia's A.J. Brown Trade Debate
Whether or not Brown is traded, the receiver is attracting major attention and is making teams fall in love with the idea of adding an established pass catcher. Because there are very few established stars getting ready to hit free agency, it makes sense that a trade will be an incredibly attractive idea for teams looking bolster their WR room. Brown might be the bigger name, but Moore has had great seasons and will instantly become an attractive fallback option.
This will be the case whether Brown is dealt as many expect, or even if Philadelphia turns down all offers and chooses to ride it out. Looking around the league, any team chasing Brown would logically turn to Moore as a next potential target should the Eagles hold onto the talented, yet sometimes frustrating, wideout. The receiver is still only 28 and had an elite season as recently as 2023 despite having a questionable quarterback situation.
With this in mind, fans should be keeping a close eye on Philadelphia, understanding that no matter the path the franchise chooses with Brown, the Bears stand to benefit. Unintentionally, the Eagles are helping Chicago set the stage to move Moore and unquestionably get a better price as teams realize the veteran's potential.