Will A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson be back? Those are key questions facing the Eagles and Howie Roseman.

The main topics at the end-of-year press conference at the NovaCare Complex Thursday afternoon were mainly centered around why Kevin Patullo was no longer the offensive coordinator of the Eagles, what Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman wanted in his replacement, and what the next evolution of the team’s offense might be.

But there were two additional questions during the 24-minute session that will have an impact on that next coordinator and the Eagles as a whole.

A.J. Brown’s future in Philadelphia is a major offseason storyline, as is Lane Johnson’s future playing football in general.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni looking for an offensive coordinator to help Eagles offense ‘evolve’

Brown’s frustrations this season and last have been well documented. The star receiver expressed his frustrations with the offense and his involvement in it via cryptic social media posts, on a video game live stream, and in media interviews. He declined to make himself available to the media after the Eagles’ postseason exit, both after the game and again the following day as the team cleared its lockers.

Would Roseman be open to trading Brown, or is that a non-starter?

“It is hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J. is a great player,” Roseman said. “I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for, when we go out here in free agency and in the draft, is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy. So that would be my answer.”

It was not a yes, and it was not a no. Reading between the lines, trading Brown would require the Eagles to get a haul in return.

There are also salary cap implications.

Brown signed a three-year extension in 2024 that carries through the 2029 season. If the Eagles traded Brown prior to June 1, they would take on a dead cap hit of $43.5 million. Keeping Brown, on the other hand, would mean a $23.4 million hit. Trading him would offer cap savings in 2027 and beyond. The Eagles have been open to taking on dead cap in the past, and Roseman has been a savant at gaming the NFL’s salary cap system to the Eagles’ advantage.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni’s forceful vote of confidence from Howie Roseman, and some A.J. Brown trade talk highlight Eagles press conference

Johnson’s future also is a big factor in the cap math next season and beyond. The future Hall of Fame right tackle missed the final seven regular season games as well as Sunday’s playoff loss with a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. Johnson has talked publicly last season and before this season about his career timeline.

“My goal is to play well throughout my middle to maybe my upper 30s,” Johnson, who will be 36 in May, said last March. “I love the challenge of being an older player and the routine you got to keep up with.”

That was, however, before he suffered another injury. Johnson, like Brown, was not available to reporters as the season wrapped up.

Did he give the Eagles any indication to Roseman whether he’ll be back or not?

“I think all those conversations that we have with our players are between us, and anything they’re doing — I’m not saying that negatively or positively — but anyone you ask about, I think that’s their business to discuss," Roseman said. “Obviously, you’re talking about a Hall of Fame player who has been a huge, huge part of any of our success we’ve had. And when you watch him play, he’s still playing at an elite level.”

Not a yes. Not a no.

The futures of those Eagles stars are pivotal because their status impacts how the Eagles approach free agency and the draft. They also make up a large chunk of what has been and will continue to be a high-priced offense.

The Eagles are at an interesting point in the state of their roster. They have an aging and expensive offense that is underperforming relative to its cost, and a young and inexpensive defense. That will change soon. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are in line for extensions. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are right behind them. The Eagles need to improve at edge rusher and have other holes to fill.

“As you get better you have a natural arc of the team, and I think that, when you look at our team, we drafted a lot of offensive players, we re-signed a lot of offensive players,” Roseman said when asked if the team had the resources to keep the players it wants to. “We drafted a lot of defensive guys that were young and on rookie contracts. There’s natural transition in what we do … in terms of where you’re paying your guys, which side of the ball you’re paying your guys who are coming up.

“The important thing for us is, there are players we can’t lose — obviously we’re going to do what’s best for us … but within reason — and that we want to keep around here because they’re really good players, homegrown players that are really good people, that are part of our core. With that, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. That’s on me to make sure the sacrifices we make are filled in with really good players again."

» READ MORE: From Lane Johnson’s worth to a fan base’s anger, here’s what we learned about the 2025 Eagles

How would Roseman assess the 2025 season?

“Not good enough,” he said.

“If it doesn’t end with confetti falling on our head, I don’t feel like it’s good enough,” Roseman added. “I know we’re not going to win the Super Bowl every year. I think I know that from a broad perspective, but I believe we can. I go into every offseason thinking we’re going to do whatever it takes to win a Super Bowl and when we fall short I look at myself. I look at the things that I could have done different and I look to improve.”

It was not Roseman’s best offseason coming off of last year’s Super Bowl. The Eagles did not get great production from their 2025 draft class, though they also had a roster without many openings. It’s worth noting that their first two picks in 2024 were All-Pro selections this season, and the jury is still out on their first two picks from the most recent drafts. They did not, however, make adequate upgrades on the edge and twice had to lure players off their couches to join the team before being forced to use a draft pick to acquire Jaelan Phillips. They don’t have obvious answers for what’s next for an aging and declining offensive line.

They need to get younger and cheaper at some positions, but they also have the talent to try to push for another championship. Finding the next offensive coordinator is a big part of that, but roster construction is critical. Roseman’s offseason task is to balance it all.

“You can do whatever it takes to win now and still build for the future and still have those parallel paths,” he said. “I just don’t want it to get confused that we can’t do whatever it takes to build a championship-caliber team next year and also continue to have really good players on this team for the future.”

That work is underway.