The Philadelphia Eagles worked quickly to sign A.J. Brown, agreeing to a four-year, $100 million extension after acquiring him from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and 2022 third-round pick. Brown, who's 24, will be part of a young Eagles core of skill position players on offense that involves Jalen Hurts (23), DeVonta Smith (23), Miles Sanders (25), Quez Watkins (23), and Dallas Goedert (27). All but Sanders are signed through at least the 2023 season.
Making the Brown trade even better for the Eagles was the breakdown of his four-year extension that will keep him in Philadelphia until the 2026 season. Brown will be in an Eagles uniform for the next five seasons, and here's how his deal breaks down (via Over The Cap):
| Year | Base Salary | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 | $986,000 | $986,000 | $5,681,271 |
2023 | $1,080,000 | $1,590,000 | $8,318,800 |
2024 | $20,250,000 | $3,779,000 | $27,728,800 |
2025 | $15,250,000 | $0 | $22,728,800 |
2026 | $30,250,000 | $0 | $37,728,800 |
Brown received $57.22 million guaranteed as part of the contract, but $40 million was guaranteed at signing. If Brown is on the roster on the third day of the 2023 league year, he will receive the remainder of his 2024 salary -- including guaranteed workout and roster bonuses.
Brown gets a prorated bonus of $6,728,800 every season from 2023 through 2026, along with a per game roster bonus of $510,000 and a workout bonus of $240,000 through those years.
The Eagles got Brown to help out their young quarterback in Hurts, who has been close friends with Brown since their high school days. Hurts certainly was excited to bring his close friend to Philadelphia.
"He's always had the ability to make plays with the ball in his hand, use his body, box out defenders, break tackles," Hurts said this week about Brown. "He's a great addition to a great receiver room we have now, and I'm excited."
Brown has 24 touchdown catches since the start of 2019 (DK Metcalf is the only player from his draft class to have more after his first three years). Brown's 185 catches and 2,995 receiving yards were the second most for a player after three seasons in Titans franchise history. Brown is averaging 16.19 yards per catch since the start of the 2019 season, trailing only Mike Williams (16.78) for the best mark of the NFL (minimum 150 receptions).
The Eagles are paying for Brown to be that type of impact player -- and more -- over the next five seasons.