No Room For AJ Brown After Eagles Trade with Cowboys to Draft Makai Lemon

The Eagles selected Makai Lemon out of USC despite signing other receivers and having AJ Brown still on the books.

No Room For AJ Brown After Eagles Trade with Cowboys to Draft Makai Lemon

AJ Brown and Makai Lemon (Image via Bet 99 Ontario/PhEagles Central/X)

In Short
  • The Philadelphia Eagles traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to select wide receiver Makai Lemon in the NFL Draft.
  • AJ Brown's potential trade appears more likely after the Eagles' recent additions to their receiving corps.
  • Negotiations for Brown's trade have stalled due to the team's dead cap situation, but interest remains from other franchises.

It is no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles are still in the midst of fielding trade offers for star wide receiver AJ Brown. But no one knew Makai Lemon would be the final straw to indicate that the former is on the move.

After all, he has made his intent clear multiple times during the past season that he would prefer to join another team, as he did not feel utilized enough.

The Eagles, and some of their past and current players, acknowledged that Brown was right to be frustrated, considering he was not being involved in the way he would have liked.

There were reports that the Eagles were speaking with various teams about a potential trade, but negotiations apparently came to a standstill.

While some speculated that the franchise might be asking for too much compensation in return, NFL Insiders clarified that the dead cap situation is stopping the trade from happening before June 1st. Despite all this, and the other receivers the Eagles signed or traded for in the offseason, franchise fans hoped their No. 1 wideout would stay.

Now, that ship seems to have sailed after the Philadelphia-based franchise traded up with the Dallas Cowboys to select USC star Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick.

The 21-year-old wide receiver might not be a like-for-like replacement for Brown, but he joins a crowded unit. This might be the final indication that a trade is likely in place for the Ole Miss alum to finally depart from the Eagles.

Eagles stole Makai Lemon from the Steelers

Makai Lemon was clearly the No. 3 wide receiver in this year’s draft. But rumors went around that his questionable NFL Combine press conference deterred some teams.

Roger Goodell and Makai Lemon
Roger Goodell and Makai Lemon (Image via PhEagles Central/X)

Maybe that explains why he was still on the board, even though talent-wise, he is not far off from the top two receivers who went at No. 4 and 8, respectively.

Sensing an opportunity, the Philadelphia Eagles pounced on the opportunity. Ian Rapoport revealed that the Dallas Cowboys were already on the clock when the Pittsburgh Steelers called Lemon to let him know that they were selecting him.

The latter franchise felt that they had their No. 2 receiver to pair opposite DK Metcalf. But little did they realize that the Philadelphia Eagles were discussing a trade with the Cowboys.

Before they could hang up the phone, news broke that the trade was complete and that the Eagles were on the clock. Then Commissioner Roger Goodell came out to the dais and announced that the organization had selected the former USC junior.

Usually, the NFL draft tends to throw up some interesting maneuvers, just like how the Denver Broncos did to the Minnesota Vikings back in the 2024 edition. But this was Howie Roseman again, showing that there is a reason many believe him to be the best GM in football.

Makai Lemon reverts to his NFL Combine antics after being drafted by the Eagles

Now that he is going to join a Super Bowl-ready Philadelphia Eagles, Makai Lemon was clearly back in his zone when ESPN’s Laura Rutledge spoke with him.

They gettin’ a dawg that is ready to work. For real.

Makai Lemon said

He was swaying his head from side to side, angling his face away from Rutledge as he spoke, all similar to how he was when speaking with reporters at the Combine.

Some may call it cocky, some may believe that he is overconfident about his chances. The last time a player displayed such behavior, fans and, as some rumors speculated, executives did their part to humble him.

They may have already done it to Lemon by not selecting him earlier, even when some teams picking ahead of the Eagles did need WR. But it seems it all worked out for the franchise, and eventually, AJ Brown.

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