The Philadelphia Eagles are enjoying a successful 2025-26 season so far, sitting atop the NFC East with a 7-2 record. The team is formidable on both sides of the ball. In PFSN’s Defensive Impact metrics, the team ranks 14th in the league behind key players like Quinyon Mitchell, Zack Baun, and Jalen Carter.
Offensively, the team is ranked 13th in PFSN’s Offensive Impact metrics, thanks to performers like Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley. Despite this widespread success, one star player on the roster is not happy with his current role.
Why Could the New England Patriots Be a Suitor for A.J. Brown?
This season, A.J. Brown is having a major down year. In eight games, the wide receiver has only 31 receptions for 408 yards and three touchdowns. In PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact metrics, he ranks 43rd in the league, while fellow receiver Smith is ranked fourth. The frustration appears to be mounting, as the three-time second-team All-Pro went on a Twitch stream and told his fantasy managers to drop him. This situation has led to speculation that he will eventually demand a trade from the Eagles, and one team stands out as a potential suitor.
The New England Patriots as a suitor for Brown is a scenario that makes a lot of sense. He could be another dangerous weapon for quarterback Drake Maye and potentially take the already 8-2 team to the next level.
This season, Maye has thrown for 2,555 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 71.7% completion rate. Additionally, he has added 283 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. His current targets include Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, and Hunter Henry, but Brown’s talent could elevate Maye’s play significantly.
Beyond the on-field impact, the Patriots would have the 28-year-old star under a long-term contract. Thanks to a three-year, $96,000,000 extension he signed with the Eagles in 2024, he is under contract until his age-32 season in 2029. He could provide a long-term answer at wide receiver and would immediately become the best on the team.
Brown’s high value is well-known across the league, underscored by his past relationships with coaches and teams. For instance, before he was traded from Tennessee to the Eagles, his former coach, Mike Vrabel, went on the record to say how much he loved Brown as a player and a person, stating that as long as he was the head coach, Brown would not be on the trading block.
Of course, Titans management had other ideas, as Brown was traded to the Eagles in 2022 for that year’s 18th and 101st overall picks in the draft. Tennessee used those picks to draft wide receiver Treylon Burks and tight end Jeremy Ruckert. Neither player has proved to be anywhere near as valuable as Brown.