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So it seems like the Philadelphia Eagles were involved in trade talks for Antonio Brown after all. To some extent, at least.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Eagles “were players” for Brown but their interest was “not serious enough.” NFL insider Adam Schefter offered some more context:
Antonio Brown trade talks between the Eagles and Steelers were simply two teams doing their due diligence, and those talks never got serious, per a league source familiar with the conversations.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2019
This reporting follows Jason La Canfora doubling down on his previous report that the Eagles were a team to watch in a potential Brown trade. La Canfora said the Eagles, Raiders, and Redskins were the three teams that “continued to engage” with Pittsburgh following the trade with the Bills that fell through.
Of course, the Raiders ended up being the team most willing to trade for Brown. Oakland sent a 2019 third-round pick and a 2019 fifth-round pick to the Steelers. The Raiders were also willing to give Brown an extra $30 million guaranteed.
As we previously wrote, trading for Brown was never a slam dunk move for the Eagles. It’s no surprise that they ultimately passed on him.
It’s also no surprise that the Eagles showed some interest because Howie Roseman is one of the most active executives in the league and Brown is a future Hall of Fame talent.
The Eagles ultimately didn’t do what it took to get Brown. Fans should still appreciate the Eagles were at least interested in seeing what it would take to get him to Philly. Roseman’s penchant for being aggressive didn’t manifest in this scenario but we can expect the Eagles to make some other interesting additions this offseason.