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Packers trade WR Dontayvion Wicks to Eagles, further clouding A.J. Brown's future
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- Packers trade WR Dontayvion Wicks to Eagles, further clouding A.J. Brown's future
Rumors of A.J. Brown 's demise as a Philadelphia Eagle just gained more steam.
According to multiple reports on April 10, the Eagles are acquiring Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick this year and a sixth-rounder in 2027. Per David Mulugheta, Wicks' agent , he'll also get a one-year extension worth $12.5 million, tying him to Philadelphia for the next two seasons.
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The deal comes at a time when Brown's future in the City of Brotherly Love has been a matter of intense speculation. And though a trade for the wide receiver has not yet materialized, it will become much easier from a salary cap perspective for the Eagles to move him after June 1.
Wicks, a fifth-round pick out of Virginia in 2023, caught 30 passes for 332 yards and two TDs in 2025.
What does the Dontayvion Wicks trade mean for Eagles?
Philadelphia has further diversified its wideout room after signing Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore during free agency last month. Neither of them − nor Wicks − is the caliber of receiver Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler who's surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons, is. But the stream of incoming veteran bodies creates options at a position that's been thin for the Eagles in recent years beyond Brown and DeVonta Smith . And none of the new guys have the juice to demand targets the way Brown did, either, a factor that could tamp down the drama around an organization that always seems to have some trailing it, particularly in Philly's hyper-scrutinized ecosystem.
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What does the Dontayvion Wicks trade mean for Packers?
Green Bay seems to be taking the opposite approach, reducing the number of mouths it has to feed in the passing game while accruing draft capital. Wicks' departure comes on the heels of Romeo Doubs exit to sign with the New England Patriots during free agency. Yet the Packers remain robust at the wideout position with Jayden Reed , Christian Watson and Matthew Golden , a first-round pick in 2025 who's expected to take on a larger role this year after catching 29 passes as a rookie. Golden was the first wideout the organization chose in Round 1 since Javon Walker in 2002. And while Reed and TE Tucker Kraft dealt with injuries last season, the Pack's passing attack was perhaps a bit too fragmented − Doubs (55) the only player with more than 40 receptions.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 10: Arron Mosby #53 of the Green Bay Packers tackles Dontayvion Wicks #13 of the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
What does the Dontayvion Wicks trade mean for A.J. Brown ?
It seems to be further grease the skids for Brown's long-anticipated escape. A team captain who's been praised by many of his teammates and head coach Nick Sirianni, Brown's relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts has become frosty in recent years, and he consistently bemoaned his lack of consistent usage in the passing attack last season. A trade to the Patriots has been projected for some time given Brown's warm relationship with Pats head coach Mike Vrabel, for whom he played in Tennessee at the start of his career.
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What are the salary cap implications for trading A.J. Brown?
Trading Brown is going to create a $43.5 million dead cap hit for the Eagles. But they can spread it over the 2026 and 2027 seasons by dealing him after June 1, which would also allow them to save $7 million against the 2026 cap.
Dontayvion Wicks trade grades
Green Bay Packers :They got a pair of Day 3 picks for a guy who was entering the walk year of his deal and likely projected as the team's No. 4 wide receiver. Basically, a pretty nice job of getting something for a player who likely would have been nothing to the organization in a year. Grade: B+
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Philadelphia Eagles :They had extra draft picks to burn, the 2026 fifth-rounder they offloaded was previously acquired from the Atlanta Falcons . The $12.5 million extension is generous for a player who's never had more than 40 receptions in any of his three seasons. Still, it stands to reason that Wicks could become a much bigger component of the Eagles' offense than he was in Green Bay's, so this seems like a wisely calculated risk − which is on brand for Philly EVP/GM Howie Roseman. Grade: B-
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dontayvion Wicks trade grades: Eagles get Packers WR, A.J. Brown waits
