For months, the worst-kept secret in NFL circles was that the New England Patriots would likely acquire Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown at some point after the end of May.
Outsiders no longer have to wonder what it could cost the Patriots to land Brown’s services.
Why Patriots may feel they immediately won the A.J. Brown trade
On Monday afternoon, the Eagles confirmed that they have agreed to trade Brown to the Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf may spend the rest of the week taking some victory laps regarding the deal, and not just because of what Brown could offer New England as the club’s new WR1.
As recently as earlier on Monday, it was said that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman initially wanted “a first- and a second-rounder” in return for Brown. That same report noted that the Los Angeles Rams “were really the only other serious suitor” for Brown this offseason.
The Rams “tapped out of the talks” with the Eagles ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, perhaps due to concerns about the 28-year-old’s history of knee problems. Additionally, it’s believed that Brown made it known he wanted to reunite with New England’s Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel was Brown’s head coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season.
Why Eagles got the A.J. Brown trade over with
Back in the spring of 2024, Brown and the Eagles signed a three-year, $96M contract extension. On Monday afternoon, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted that Philadelphia now saves “$50M or so on” Brown.
Some previously suggested that trading Brown is an addition-by-subtraction move due to the supposed headaches he caused the Eagles over the past two seasons. Additionally, a recent story revealed that one assistant general manager and an NFC scout view Brown as “a declining asset” who is “closer to declining than ascending.”
Brown turns 29 years old on June 30 and may use such takes as bulletin-board material after he recorded 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns over what became the final 15 regular-season games of his Eagles tenure. He’ll now work to become the favorite target of Patriots quarterback Drake Maye through the end of summer practices and the preseason.