The Eagles have locked up and secured their two elite receivers. The Philadelphia Eagles brass and fans no longer have to stress because A.J. Brown is committed for the next three years, along with DeVonta Smith.
Brown and the Eagles have come to terms on a three-year, $96 million extension, vaulting Brown into record-breaking territory as the highest-paid receiver in the league, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday prior to the 2024 NFL Draft. The extension includes $84 million in guaranteed money, also the highest of any receiver contract, and will carry through the 2029 season, according to Rapoport. He can definitely afford a lot of cheese steak now.
Brown has been a cornerstone and essential impact player from day one when he first stepped on a field in an Eagles uniform. Acquired via trade with the Tennessee Titans, a trade that appeared to frustrate and anger former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel and created a gaping roster hole in Tennessee that preceded the eventual ousting of general manager Jon Robinson, Brown jumped to the Eagles at the perfect time, helping them reach the Super Bowl in his first season in Philadelphia where they lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown has hauled in more receptions in two seasons with the Eagles (194) than he did in three years with the Titans (185), accumulating 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns in 34 games and earning two second-team All-Pro selections and Pro Bowl nods. However, everything has not been roses. He became visibly upset in 2023, just as things started to unravel with the Eagles, leading to a late-season collapse punctuated by a dreadful performance on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Embed from Getty ImagesBrown eventually put to bed the rumors he was unhappy in Philadelphia, calling into a local radio station, 94WIP in late February to address the matter head on and explain, “I want to be here, simple as that.”
Nearly two months later, he kept his word with the extension, which will keep him with the Eagles well beyond the initial end date (2027) of his previous contract. With signal caller Jalen Hurts under contract, the tandem and best friends will be teaming up for years to come.
Philadelphia now has its two star receivers under contract for the foreseeable future. Earlier this month, the Eagles signed Smith to a three-year extension worth $75 million with $51 million guaranteed. Smith’s deal runs through 2028 and Brown’s through 2029.
“We try to be proactive to try to keep this team together,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “That starts with [owner] Jeffrey [Lurie] and his support like we talked about in our pre-draft press conference and just talking about the benefits of trying to keep it together as much as we possibly can.
“The only way we can possibly do that is by doing deals early. We felt like it was an opportunity to do that here with A.J. Obviously we’ve done a bunch of deals with a bunch of our players, and want to add to that and keep this team together as much as we possibly can. We couldn’t do that without his support in allowing us to do that. We felt like the earlier we did that would be better for us and him, and him knowing that he was going to be here.”
Brown and Smith made history in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’, and became the first receiver duo in Eagles to each reach 1,000 yards receiving in 2022, and they repeated the feat last season. Teamed with quarterback Hurts, they have helped fuel a dynamic offense that ranks fifth in points per game (26.8) over the past two seasons.
