Eagles Could Circle Back To Chiefs As A.J. Brown Trade Talks Escalate

The Kansas City Chiefs have an interesting dilemma with Rashee Rice.

Rice has been unreliable in the Chiefs' plans to be their WR1 with a series of off-field issues, the latest being a probation violation and spending 30 days in jail as a result of his actions. Rice will miss the Chiefs OTAs while serving jail time as he tested positive for THC.

This probation violation is addition to right knee surgery Rice received last week, so he would have missed OTAs anyway. Rice was expected to miss two months in recovery, but the rehab may have some compilations with Rice serving his sentence.

Again, Rice has been unreliable over the last two years due to his off-field issues and on-field injuries. Could this lead to the Chiefs looking outside the organization and inquiring about A.J. Brown?

Wouldn't hurt for the Chiefs -- or Eagles -- to make a phone call.

The Chiefs WR outlook

Kansas City didn't exactly address wide receiver this offseason.

The Chiefs had Rice and Xavier Worthy as their top two wideouts, both which they spent high draft picks on in the 2023 (Rice) and 2024 (Worthy) drafts. They also selected Jalen Royals in the fourth round of the 2025 draft and Cyrus Allen in the fifth round this year.

Tyquan Thorton is also in the mix at wide receiver, and Travis Kelce is the TE1. With Rice and his off-field issues ongoing, the Chiefs may have to brace themselves for a suspension handed down by the NFL -- in addition to how Rice recovers from knee surgery.

Essentially, Rice is unreliable and the Chiefs don't have a lot of playmakers at wide receiver outside of Worthy. That isn't going to help Patrick Mahomes as he returns from a torn ACL in his left knee.

The Chiefs need playmakers and don't have many if Rice is out. This could circle their attention to Brown.

What would entice Brown to Kansas City?

Playing for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes would be enough, as the Chiefs are on Brown's list of preferred teams. The Chiefs weren't interested in Brown before, but plans change.

Brown would be the WR1 in Kansas City, whether Rice is in the picture or not. Watching Tyreek Hill and how he was utilized with the Chiefs should give Brown enough confidence he can put up massive numbers for a team that should be back in the mix for Super Bowl contention.

The Chiefs value first-round picks, but parting ways with a 2027 first-round pick for Brown should be in their wheelhouse. Kansas City gets premium picks for premium players (see Hill and Trent McDuffie), but also will trade premium picks for impact players to help their window of contention.

Starting with a 2027 first-round pick for an elite wide receiver under contract could be a no-brainer for Kansas City if Brown is still available.

Would the Eagles trade Brown to the Chiefs?

Simply put, yes.

The Chiefs are in the AFC and the Eagles wouldn't have to see Brown every season. Kansas City would also be a leverage in case the New England Patriots were the only interested team in Brown, which likely won't be the case come June 1.

The Eagles just want to fulfill Brown's request, and the Chiefs would certainly make Brown happy. They could get the draft capital they wanted from Kansas City, along with the opportunity to move on and send Brown to the highest bidder (should the Chiefs become the highest bidder).

The more teams interested in Brown, the better for the Eagles. The ideal spot is an AFC team for Brown, so the Eagles don't have to face him every season (which would be a possibility if Brown was traded to an NFC team).

There are a lot of Chiefs connections to the Eagles, starting with Reid and elevating to members of the front office and throughout the executive personnel. The Eagles built their team off Andy Reid's philosophy.

If there's an opportunity for the Chiefs to get involved, the Eagles would be interested if they can get the right offer.

Today's best reads

• Three Teams That Could Steal A.J. Brown From Patriots In Potential Eagles Trade
• Why An Eagles' Trade With The Rams For A.J. Brown Doesn't Make Sense
• Could Eagles Revisit A.J. Brown Trade Talks With Rams? What Philly May Receive in Potential Deal
• Three Rams Players Eagles Should Consider Receiving In Potential A.J. Brown Trade
• Why Eagles Are In Position To Wait Past June 1 To Deal A.J. Brown

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as Eagles Could Circle Back To Chiefs As A.J. Brown Trade Talks Escalate .

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:00 PM.