As of today’s June 1st deadline, the one trade many expected was star A.J. Brown being sent to the New England Patriots.
After a rocky season in the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, the chances of Brown being traded rose the longer the offseason went on. So, with today’s deadline, the move was probably going to happen, and it did.
Eagles Send Star WR A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots
This trade should not catch anyone by surprise, but that should not diminish its significance. The Patriots just made a massive addition to their offense, and after losing the Super Bowl, a move like this was necessary.
Now, quarterback Drake Maye has a new weapon, and head coach Mike Vrabel is back with his former WR.
After the trade was completed, this is how the NFL World reacted:
Philadelphia sports content creator RBPhillyTake praised GM Howie Roseman for the deal, “It finally happened. And Howie Roseman did a damn good job.”
It finally happened. And Howie Roseman did a damn good job. https://t.co/Oqng0CMUQR
— RB (@RBPhillyTake) June 1, 2026
NFL insider Ian Rapoport explained the financial impact of this deal by the Eagles, “The Eagles save $50M or so on AJ Brown, money they’ve spent acquiring standout edge Jonathan Greenard from the #Vikings. This also helps them recoup the picks, getting a future 1 and a 5 for Brown after giving up a 3, a future 3, and getting back a 7 with Greenard.”
Dallas Cowboys insider RJ Ochoa simply expressed, “Finally.”
Finally. https://t.co/laxhUl9LgV
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) June 1, 2026
NFL writer Marcus Mosher felt that the Patriots may have given up a bit too much, but it makes sense with their aspirations, “Feels like a slight overpay by New England but they are in that window. Go for it.”
NFL analyst Field Yates explained how May and Brown will be a perfect fit with each other in the Patriots offense, “AJ Brown scored 18 TDs in receptions of 20+ air yards during his four seasons with the Eagles, the most in the NFL. Drake Maye led the NFL in air yards/attempt and yards/attempt last year. The ideal fit for one of the best deep ball throwers in the league.”
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Boston Connor proudly celebrated as a Patriots fan that this deal will get the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.
ITS DONE
WELCOME HOME AJ BROWN
SUPER. BOWL. https://t.co/DMHSp1yJ4w
— Football (@BostonConnr) June 1, 2026
Former NFL DB Ryan Clark expressed that he was happy for Brown, but also poked fun at this deal being expected, “Good for AJ! He gets what he wants and this is huge for the Patriots. We always knew it was coming though.”
Complicated tenure. Very successful as well. In a short period of time, few WRs accomplished more than A.J. Brown in an Eagles jersey. https://t.co/0OO7xXkDzT
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) June 1, 2026
As mentioned, although this was an expected deal, it was still significant. The Eagles may have taken a hit on offense by moving on from Brown, but now, WRs DeVonta Smith and rookie Makai Lemon will have opportunities to thrive.
For the Patriots, the goal now is to win a Super Bowl, and Brown will take them one step closer to doing that. Just two seasons ago, Brown was ranked the third-best WR league-wide in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric, and hopefully, a change of scenery will get him back to that level.
