A.J. Brown and the Eagles agree to a 3-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $96 million

A few days away from the two-year anniversary of trading for A.J. Brown, the Eagles reached an agreement to extend the star wide receiver once again Thursday night.

The extension will run through 2029, and is reportedly worth up to $96 million with $84 million guaranteed. Brown, 26, was previously under contract through 2026 on an extension he signed two years ago when the Eagles traded for the star receiver during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. His guaranteed money is also reportedly the most for a wide receiver in league history.

The move comes one week after the Eagles signed DeVonta Smith, Brown’s running mate, to an extension that stretches through the 2028 season and now gives the team one of the best receiving duos in the NFL for the foreseeable future. Smith’s deal has an average annual value of roughly $25 million, which was in line with Brown’s previous contract.

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Since the Eagles surrendered the No. 18 and No. 101 picks in the 2022 draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Brown and signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension, the former Ole Miss standout has been one of the league’s best receivers. He finished last season with 106 catches for 1,456 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The previous year, he had 88 catches for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. Smith had 86 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns last season as well.

Brown’s deal will now sit atop the wide receiver market with Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed an extension with Detroit on Wednesday. Still, there’s a chance the market resets in the near future with All-Pro receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase headlining a deep and talented group of wideouts eligible for contract extensions this offseason.

The Eagles have a track record of getting extensions done sooner rather than waiting things out, especially when dealing with players at premium positions where the price often increases over time. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman suggested as much when discussing Brown’s extension after Thursday night’s first round.

“We try to be proactive and try to keep this team together,” Roseman said. “That starts with [Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie] and his support. … Just talking about the benefits of trying to keep it together as much as we possibly can and the only way we can possibly do that is by doing deals early. We felt like this was an opportunity to do that here with A.J.”

“He’s had a phenomenal start to his career. He’s still young and to be able to keep that core group of offensive players — hopefully we can continue to add to it.”

Along with Smith, Brown joins a list of players the team has extended with multiyear deals this offseason that consists of Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Reed Blankenship, Jake Elliott, and Braden Mann. Brown is also one of six Eagles players now under contract through the 2028 season, along with Jalen Hurts, Smith, Mailata, Elliott, and Dickerson.

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“We’ve done a bunch of deals with a bunch of our players [this offseason],” Roseman said. “We want to add to that. We want to try to keep this team together as long as we possibly can.”

Voted a captain for the first time in his career last season, Brown has become one of the leaders in the Eagles’ locker room in the last two years. He has been outspoken this offseason to quell unfounded trade rumors surrounding him, even calling into 94.1 WIP in February to squash speculation that he was unhappy on the Eagles following collective frustration about the team’s unprecedented collapse to end last season.

“Why would someone think I wasn’t even happy?” Brown said to the radio station. “I want to be here. It’s as simple as that. I love where I’m at.”