The Los Angeles Chargers have important questions to answer in the trenches this season. Priority number one should be the interior of the offensive line.
Yet they also have a new offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel: one who can turn the Justin Herbert-led offense into a special unit if given the right tools.
Los Angeles has a deep receiving corps, filled out by Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre' Harris, and KeaAndre Lambert-Smith. By all means, this group is good enough to get the Chargers where they need to go.
But the team has long lacked a star offensive weapon. If they had a player who could open up opportunities for their other receivers through the sheer attention he draws from the defense, this could truly become a top offense in the league.
A.J. Brown could be that target. Although there is no concrete information on what his price would be on the trade market, a recent prediction by CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan makes Brown seem imminently acquirable.
There are certainly valid concerns, but A.J. Brown's star power can't be ignored
After an immaculate three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, tensions boiled over for Brown in 2025. The Eagles' offense fell flat under offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and opportunities for explosive plays were limited.
Brown still had a strong season. He finished with 78 receptions, 1,003 yards, and seven touchdowns on 121 targets. Yet there were clearly frustrations with his role in the offense, and they could lead to his exit this offseason.
According to Sullivan, the potential price for a trade for Brown would only be a third and a fifth-round pick. On the surface, that might seem unreasonable for a player of Brown's caliber. But is it?
In 2022, he was traded to Philadelphia for a first and a third-round pick. He's now four years older and well into his prime. The Eagles, moreover, will have very little leverage if they attempt to move him this offseason given his contract.
Obviously, the contract would be a major concern for the Chargers. Brown has a three-year, $96 million extension kicking in in 2027 with an average annual salary of $32 million. This would be a high price to pay for Los Angeles, but it could be offset in the short-term by the declining of Quentin Johnston's fifth-year option, which sits at around $17 million.
I've written before about how the Chargers should avoid Brown, but McDaniel's hiring (and Sullivan's projection) changes the picture considerably.
It's not necessarily be the ideal offseason target because of these considerations, but his dream fit in the offense is too obvious to ignore. He would present a contested-catch and explosive-play threat the Chargers have long been without. With speedy receivers in McConkey and Harris to complement him, Los Angeles could create an absolutely lethal unit with Brown in the fold.
It remains to be seen if Brown will become available or what the price for his services will ultimately be. But if Sullivan's prediction proves even remotely correct, it's an option the Chargers must weigh.