Rumors of A.J. Brown getting traded to the New England Patriots have been swirling all offseason, and the time is almost here to see if the blockbuster move will indeed happen.
Monday marks the first day of June, and after 4 p.m. ET tomorrow, the Philadelphia Eagles will be able to spread Brown’s dead money over the next two seasons rather than everything landing in 2026.
On Sunday, one NFL insider revealed the latest on New England’s pursuit of Brown.
Patriots Feeling Confident That They’ll Acquire A.J. Brown
For much of the offseason, most reports made it seem like a Patriots-Eagles trade involving Brown was essentially a done deal. That is, until earlier this week.
That’s when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Patriots don’t want to give up a first-round pick for Brown, but the Eagles are remaining firm on their asking price. That report made it sound like the trade still had a ways to go in order to get finalized.
However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler joined “SportsCenter” on Sunday morning and reported that the deal will very likely happen; it’s just a matter of what else is involved in the trade.
“I was told the Patriots remain confident that they can get a deal done,” Fowler said. “When I checked with a source on trade terms, I was told that sides are ‘working on it.'”
However, Fowler noted that he’s hearing the same thing about New England’s hesitance to part with a first-rounder.
“I’m told [the Patriots] still have not been overly crazy about giving up a first-round pick, which is what Philly’s kinda wanted all along here. So, they gotta find a sweet spot on the trade terms,” Fowler said. “Does it include maybe a conditional pick? Or maybe a pick going back to New England? That’s what they’re sorting through.”
While the two sides are still working out the trade details, Fowler said the Patriots hope to get the deal done shortly after 4 p.m. ET on Monday.
Once that afternoon deadline hits on Monday, the Eagles can spread Brown’s cap hit over the next two years to give them flexibility in that department.
As for New England, they want to bring in Brown as soon as possible since organized team activities (OTAs) have already begun. The Patriots released their No. 1 receiver from a year ago, Stefon Diggs. The hope is that the one-two punch of Brown and Romeo Doubs can help New England build on last year’s terrific campaign, when they had the second-best offense in the league according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric and advanced to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots and Eagles will face off in Week 3 of the preseason, but they don’t have any regular-season matchups on the schedule.
Brown is coming off the worst season of his Eagles tenure, finishing last year with 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games. He averaged 66.9 yards per game, the lowest in his four seasons in Philadelphia. According to PFSN’s WR Impact Metric, Brown posted a WR Impact Score of 80.9, ranking 21st in the league.
