The 2026 offseason is a pivotal one for the Buffalo Bills. Despite making a change at head coach, the team is still firmly in the Super Bowl contender conversation.
Of course, for the franchise to move from contender to favorite, there’s one key move most expect general manager Brandon Beane would have to make this offseason: Give Josh Allen a true No. 1 wide receiver.
While the free agent class won’t offer much, the trade market almost certainly will. And that’s where ESPN betting analyst Pamela Maldonado is banking on the Bills finding their answer out wide.
Josh Allen’s championship window with Buffalo Bills may demand an A.J. Brown gamble
Maldanado joined several ESPN voices to offer some early predictions of the 2026 season, in which she predicted the Bills would make a blockbuster trade for Philadelphia Eagles superstar receiver A.J. Brown.
“They would immediately be on the top tier of Super Bowl contenders if they added Brown. Buffalo's top priority is receiver help, and pairing him with Allen can solve its biggest limitation overnight,” she wrote on Wednesday.
Brown is one of a few receivers Bills Mafia has their eyes on this offseason, with hopes that Beane is doing the same. Brown is disgruntled and has shown the same diva tendencies you’d expect from a star receiver these days, but the 28-year-old still has a lot to offer a team like Buffalo.
Reportedly, Brown won’t cost quite as much as many fans might have initially feared; a couple of mid-round picks will likely be enough for Philly to move him. Still, if the trade market is as heated as ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated it might be earlier this week, then that price could rise if Brown is in high demand, which certainly wouldn’t be a surprise.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to argue with Maldando’s point concerning the impact Brown would have on Buffalo’s offense. He’s a veteran with championship-level experience who isn’t yet 30 years old. While he’s had the diva tendencies, when everything is clicking properly within the offense, he’s proven to be a reliable teammate and a valuable asset.
For what it’s worth, the prediction piece from ESPN also included some Super Bowl LXI projections and some award winners. Three ESPN analysts pegged the Bills to reach Super Bowl LXI, but none believed they’d win the game. Allen got a nod for winning his second MVP award in three seasons from fantasy football analyst Eric Moody, but even he painted that prediction with the slight caveat that Beane satisfy the team’s biggest need by adding a No. 1 receiver to the offense.
Brown isn’t the only option available to Buffalo, and while there is some hesitancy with his sideline outbursts when things are rocky, there’s no doubt that Brown is the type of offensive weapon that would transform the Bills’ offense immediately.