NFL Rumors: What could derail AJ Brown trade and latest on Cowboys and George Pickens

The NFL’s Mandatory camp period is around the corner. That means there’s a lot to talk about until in terms of how teams are handling roster management. Pending contract holdouts will be the big topic of discussion, but it won’t be the only one.

A.J. Brown could be with a new team soon after mandatory camp starts. If he’s not, well something went terribly wrong because for months, everyone is assuming he’s headed to Massachusetts. As for George Pickens and Jacoby Brissett, well they could force their respective franchises to commit to them long term before showing up. Here’s what’s swirling around NFL circles.

Only New England itself stands in the way of a completed A.J. Brown deal

• AJ Brown should be a New England Patriot after June 1.
• However, Brown needs to pass a physical before that happens. As we saw with Maxx Crosby this offseason, never assume a deal is done.

The only way A.J. Brown doesn’t land with the New England Patriots is if Eliot Wolf pulls an Eric DeCosta and pulls out at the eleventh hour. This deal has presumably been done for months now, the Philadelphia Eagles and Patriots are simply waiting for a post-June 1 move for financial reasons. That said, if Wolf does pull out of an assumed deal, it would be the only thing to hold this deal up. The physical could be the deciding factor. 

Brown will have to pass a physical before the deal is completed. That was the one hold up in the Maxx Crosby deal to Baltimore. While the physical didn’t necessarily reveal any new information, it made the Ravens second guess giving up all that draft capital for an aging veteran. For Brown, there could be some underlying medical problems that force the Patriots to reconsider. 

Outside of that, Brown should be headed to New England. Philadelphia has no reason to retain Brown. They traded for more receiver depth in Dontayvion Wicks and drafted Makai Lemon with their first round pick. They are preparing to move Brown so if there’s any hesitation it would come from New England’s side. 

Dallas Cowboys center of NFL contract drama with George Pickens extension looming

• Jerry Jones and George Pickens are staring each other down for a contract extension.
• At the very least, the Cowboys WR will likely play on his franchise tag.

Jerry Jones loves contract extension drama. If he didn’t, it wouldn’t be a repeated cycle that seems to happen every year. CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons all had contract extension drama overshadow the offseason. Now Pickens is the next Cowboy to face that reality. Simply put, a deal will get done and it will get done on Jones’ terms – as it usually does. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is optimistic that a deal will get done eventually. 

I don’t think Pickens will hold out for a new deal. As good of a year as he had in 2025, there’s no way he doesn’t try to build on that and put together another career season to earn a massive contract. Jones could very go up until minutes from Week 1 before a long-term extension is signed – he’s done it before. And if Jones truly wants to win a championship, there’s no way he passes up on Pickens, knowing without Pickens this offense is nearly lifeless.

It would make sense for the Cowboys to get this over with as quickly as possible for a couple of reasons. For one, it would let them figure out what their contract situation is going to look like in the future. And two, once it’s done, that will give them time to figure out how to divvy out the rest of the salary cap, depending on which young stars step up. Their defense is young and under rookie contracts for a few more years. They can afford to pay Pickens as long as their young stars thrive while they are cheap. 

If they don’t then how they move forward with a Pickens extension becomes interesting. Until then, Pickens should still be a priority. 

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals still at odds on new deal, more money

You can’t blame Jacoby Brissett for wanting more money and more long term security, but he’s kind of got to read the room a little bit. The Arizona Cardinals have no incentive to commit to him beyond 2026. The Cardinals drafted Carson Beck and have a promising 2027 quarterback class to be optimistic about. They don’t need to pay a bridge quarterback like a starter. That’s why Brissett is better off demanding a trade than getting a new deal. 

He would fit better with a team like the New York Jets, who could benefit from good quarterback play rather than Geno Smith, who led the NFL in interceptions in 2025. Brissett had a strong season, throwing for more than 3,300 yards and more than 20 touchdown passes. He was not the culprit of the Cardinals’ struggles last year. But that doesn’t mean they have to commit long term to him either.

The NFL is cut throat and just as quickly as Brissett bailed them out, they can clean their hands of him. Brissett has been away from the team during voluntary workouts. The real questions will come if he misses out on mandatory camp. He skips that to prove a point, he might as well demand a trade. The Cardinals don’t need Brissett this year like he thinks they do.

The NFC West is a gauntlet and even if they do make an argument for a wild card spot, it’s not like the wild card race in the AFC won’t be crowded either. I’m not saying the Cardinals are going to tank, but if Brissett wants more money and Arizona doesn’t want to give it to him, they’ll take their chances with the NFL Draft. 

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