With the start of the new league year approaching very soon, the New England Patriots have emerged as a serious suitor for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Trade rumors involving Brown truly ramped up during the 2025 regular season. The All-Pro was visibly frustrated with his role in Nick Sirianni's role. Although he still had 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, he appeared to be checked out at times.
Luckily for Brown, there's a chance he'll reunite with Mike Vrabel this offseason. They had a great run on the Tennessee Titans before the front office decided to trade Brown to the NFC East powerhouse.
While a deal hasn't been agreed to just yet, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Brown is essentially down to the Eagles and Patriots as his two options for the 2026 season.
"So it certainly seems like it’s going to be the Patriots or the Eagles for A.J. Brown, with an answer likely coming pretty soon," Rapoport said.
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What will it take to acquire A.J. Brown?
During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" this Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Eagles won't be interested in trading Brown unless they get back a first-round pick in return.
"I don't believe there's a chance that the Eagles would move A.J. Brown unless it included a first-round pick," Schefter said.
The Patriots could certainly offer the Eagles a trade package centered around the No. 31 overall pick. They'll probably need to sweeten the deal by attaching another draft pick to their offer.
It's worth noting that trading away Brown would result in the Eagles taking on $43.5 million in dead money. Suffice to say, Howie Roseman will need to receive an appealing offer from the Patriots in order to accept such a steep financial blow.
