Eagles news: Patriots add a receiver amid A.J. Brown trade talk; Birds reportedly called about Steelers LB; updates and rumors

As Eagles fans wait for news about the future of A.J. Brown, the New England Patriots have gone out and added a wide receiver, according to multiple reports.

The Patriots have agreed to terms with former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs on a four-year, $80 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

As previously reported by The Inquirer's Jeff McLane, trade talks involving Brown centered on the Patriots, who Schefter said could still end up making a deal with the Eagles down the road.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been talking to teams about trading linebacker Patrick Queen, and the Eagles appear to be among them.

The Birds called the Steelers about Queen, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Nick Harris, though it's unclear how far those talks went. The Steelers appear to be looking for a mid-round draft pick.

The Dallas Cowboys were also interested in acquiring Queen, but talks have hit a "snag," according to the NFL Network's Jane Slater.

Reed Blankenship was a remarkable success story for the Eagles. He went from an undrafted free agent to a three-year starter. He was a captain on defense and helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl.

But that doesn’t mean the Eagles needed to spend more than $8 million per season over the next three years to keep him around. Both things can be true: That’s not an exorbitant price for a starting safety considering the cap keeps going up, and Blankenship may not be worth that price and term.

There tends to be some myopia attached to players like Blankenship who were unequivocally huge success stories from a scouting a development perspective. Never mind the fact he became a leader and started a podcast with Cooper DeJean. But the on-the-field production from Blankenship overall has been fairly average, and in 2025 in particular he had a down year.

Everyone in Philly and across the NFL is waiting for news on A.J. Brown, but there may be a few good reasons for a trade to happen later rather than sooner.

As it’s been pointed out repeatedly, the Eagles will reduce the salary cap hit of $43.5 million to less than $20 million if they trade Brown after June 1.

“There certainly doesn’t seem to be any urgency to move him right now,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Tuesday on Get Up. “And it doesn’t feel like anything’s gotten close.” 

The unofficial start of NFL free agency Monday was quiet in Philadelphia, where the Eagles were one of just five teams to not sign a single external player.

Since the Super Bowl, the Birds are dead last in the league in free agency spending, according to data compiled by Over The Cap. As of Tuesday morning, the Eagles had spent just $1.265 million to re-sign former Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Ta'Quon Graham, who spent the last few months of the season on the Birds’ practice squad.

Here are the five teams who have spent the least on free agents since the Super Bowl:

As A.J. Brown’s future with the Eagles remains in question, the free-agent wide receiver market has already begun to thin.

Alec Pierce, who turns 26 in May, reportedly agreed to remain with the Indianapolis Colts on a four-year, $114 million deal on Monday. After the Dallas Cowboys placed the franchise tag on George Pickens last month, Pierce became the best free-agent receiver bound for the market, and the Colts paid him accordingly.

According to The Athletic, the New England Patriots were among the teams interested in Pierce. Yes, those are the same Patriots that have reportedly kicked the tires on a trade for Brown. Now that Pierce is unavailable, how might that impact the Patriots’ desire to get a deal done and their willingness give up the draft capital that Roseman seeks in return for Brown?

With one day of NFL free agency in the books, several Eagles free agents remain unsigned, including three starters.

Among them is tight end Dallas Goedert, who posted solid numbers last season — including a team-high 11 touchdowns — despite the Eagles well-documented offensive problems.

The other two starters are cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and punter Braden Mann.

On the flip side of the Eagles’ inactivity in free agency last offseason is their haul of compensatory picks in 2026.

The NFL awarded the Eagles with four 2026 compensatory draft picks on Monday for the departures of Mekhi Becton, Isaiah Rodgers, Josh Sweat, and Milton Williams in free agency last year, which is tied for the most with the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Those four additional draft picks include ...

The Eagles now have nine total selections heading into the draft in April. Four of those picks are in the top 100, including No. 23 overall. With draft capital comes bargaining power, as general manager Howie Roseman could make all of those picks, package some of them to move up in the draft, or use them to acquire veterans via trade.

While the Eagles weren’t expected to fork over that kind of contract to Jaelan Phillips — $120 million over four years — they will miss him nonetheless.

In a span of seven games following his trade-deadline acquisition from the Miami Dolphins, Phillips quickly assimilated into Vic Fangio’s defense — and the Eagles locker room. He generated just two sacks during his time in Philadelphia, but he led the team with 34 pressures dating back to Week 10.

Phillips also shouldered a heavy workload in the rotation, playing 78% of the defensive snaps.

The Eagles will also have to address their wide receiver depth this offseason, regardless of A.J. Brown’s future with the team. Jahan Dotson, the team’s third receiver for the last two seasons, is reportedly bound for the Atlanta Falcons on a two-year, $15 million contract ($10 million guaranteed).

The Birds could stand to add to the receivers room through the draft, looking to balance out the big contracts due its young defensive stars with offensive players on rookie deals. But there are a number of pending-free-agent wide receivers that could make sense to sign to short-term, cost-effective deals, too.

Among them is Christian Kirk, the 29-year-old receiver who has seen his last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans marred by injury. But Kirk reminded the league of his potential in the postseason, posting eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.