Jeff Kerr on AJ Brown: 'Keep Him — He's Too Good' Despite Troubling Drop Pattern From Scouting Report

Keep, trade, or restructure? When Zander Krause posed the question about AJ Brown's future to Jeff Kerr on Monday's Birds 365, the CBS Sports reporter did not hesitate.

Keep. I wouldn't let that guy go anywhere. He's too good. I don't care how bad he is. — Jeff Kerr

It was the most emphatic answer of the hour-long interview. But the conversation that followed revealed layers of complexity that make Brown's situation one of the most fascinating storylines of the Eagles' 2026 offseason.

The Trade Whispers

Reports have surfaced that Brown requested a trade as early as before the deadline during the 2025 season. Kerr was skeptical of the sourcing, preferring to hear it directly from Brown himself.

I would want to hear him say it or him tweet it. That's what I want. I just don't like this whole backdoor channel stuff. — Jeff Kerr

Krause pointed out that backdoor channels are simply how modern NFL business gets conducted. Players rarely make public trade demands. Instead, word filters through agents and trusted reporters. But Kerr's skepticism is worth noting — he covers the league at the highest level and clearly has not received direct confirmation that Brown wants out.

The Scouting Report Discovery

Perhaps the most revealing moment of the AJ Brown discussion came when Krause pulled up Brown's pre-draft scouting report from NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. The key line jumped off the page.

Weaknesses: appears more quick than fast, needs to prove he can work downfield. Drops appear when focus declines. — Lance Zierlein, pre-draft scouting report on AJ Brown

"Drops appear when focus declines." For anyone who watched Brown during the 2025 season — the concentration drops, the inconsistent route running, the visible frustration — that line reads like prophecy. Krause connected the dots immediately.

"You did see more drops this year, and you did see an AJ Brown that maybe — I don't want to accuse him of having no focus — but he clearly didn't love the offense for the last couple years," Krause said.

Have We Seen the Best of AJ Brown?

Kerr raised the uncomfortable question that many Eagles fans have been privately asking.

I said this at times to myself watching games last year, especially since I got to watch games from a different vantage point. I'm thinking to myself, have we seen the best of him? — Jeff Kerr

Kerr was quick to clarify that he does not believe Brown was deliberately loafing. "I wish it was him dogging it," Kerr said, because that would be a fixable problem. The concern is whether Brown's frustration with the offense has fundamentally altered his on-field production in a way that is harder to reverse.

The Nashville Factor

McMullen revealed an interesting personal detail: Brown's permanent residence remains in Nashville, Tennessee. While Brown spent more time in the Philadelphia area during recent offseasons — he famously tweeted that he was in Philly all summer and needed a quarterback to throw to him — his roots and his family are still in Tennessee.

The tax implications are not insignificant either. Tennessee has no state income tax, while New Jersey's tax burden is among the highest in the nation. For a player earning tens of millions, that is a meaningful financial consideration.

What a Trade Would Look Like

If the Eagles ultimately decide to move Brown, Krause estimated the return would be "a conditional third-round pick that can become a second" — the typical Howie Roseman trade structure for a veteran star. At 29, Brown would not command a first-round pick, but his talent is undeniable enough that multiple teams would compete for his services.

McMullen confirmed that the Eagles will actively lobby Brown to return for at least one more season. But he acknowledged that the Sean Mannion hire, rather than a bigger-name offensive coordinator, may make that pitch more difficult.

If you get Mike McDaniel, I think you got a better chance to lobby than Sean Mannion. But that's just, you know, it is what it is. They're gonna lobby him. — John McMullen

The Verdict

Kerr's position is clear: you keep AJ Brown. The talent is too rare, the downside of losing him too severe. But the conversation on Birds 365 revealed that keeping Brown may require more than just a financial commitment — it may require convincing a frustrated star that the offense is headed in a direction worth staying for. That is a harder sell with a 33-year-old first-time play-caller running the show.