Go Birds! Daily, June 4th: Details emerge on how AJ Brown trade happened

The Eagles' trade of AJ Brown to the New England Patriots wasn't a foregone conclusion—despite widespread assumptions, the Los Angeles Rams were initially in serious contention, but dropped out after discovering Brown's degenerative knee condition, not due to compensation. The trade ultimately included a 2028 first-round pick and a fifth-round pick, with Eagles GM Howie Roseman leveraging a market inefficiency by securing a future first instead of a 2027 second. The Patriots, valuing the pick as equivalent to a second, were willing to pay a premium, but the Eagles' insistence on a first-round asset—despite its future timing—was a strategic win. Roseman also reportedly used a subtle power play by threatening to delay Brown’s release until training camp, forcing the Patriots to add the fifth-round pick to avoid a PR nightmare. Meanwhile, the Miles Garrett trade to the Rams—sending Jared Verse and multiple high picks—was analyzed as a questionable move: while Garrett is elite, the Rams traded a young, productive player and three high-value picks for a 30-year-old edge rusher. The trade may have overpaid, especially given the Rams already had a strong defensive edge. Yet, the Eagles aren’t necessarily threatened—Nick Sirianni’s track record against Sean McVay suggests the Eagles could still beat the Rams in a playoff matchup, even if the Rams are favored overall.