Although the Eagles trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots after June 1 is starting to look like a foregone conclusion, the door remains open for another team to top New England with a better offer.
On draft eve, the Pats are not believed to be ready to send a first-round pick to the Eagles for Brown, FOX’s Jay Glazer reports. The Eagles have long wanted a first-round pick headlining a Brown trade haul, as it would make the mercurial wide receiver’s dead money hit — even in a post-June 1 trade — easier to stomach. The returns the Bears and Dolphins respectively received for D.J. Moore and Jaylen Waddle surely did nothing to diminish the Eagles’ asking price.
The Broncos sent the Dolphins first- and third-round picks for Waddle, with a fourth-round pick swap also part of that trade, while the Bears collected a second-rounder for Moore and a fifth. Brown is more accomplished than both players, riding a streak of four straight 1,000-yard seasons and totaling six such slates in a seven-year career. But Brown gripes about his usage in Philly’s offense have been commonplace. A midgame dustup with Nick Sirianni also fueled the fire for a trade finally coming to pass, and a March report viewed a trade as “inevitable.”
A report earlier this week pegged the Patriots — Brown’s long-rumored destination, which would bring about a reunion with Mike Vrabel — as being ready to acquire the eighth-year receiver after June 1. In PFR’s latest chat, I posited a potential trade that involved a 2028 first-round pick and a Day 2 choice in 2027. The Eagles structured their Carson Wentz trade this way, collecting a 2022 conditional first-round pick from the Colts to go with a 2021 third. Philly also accepted a 2026 third-round pick from the Jets for Haason Reddick in 2024.
Teams are displaying reluctance to part with 2027 first-round picks, as that draft class is viewed as stronger than this one, and it will be interesting to see if another team will rival the Pats for Brown. For a bit now, New England has been the clear frontrunner. Glazer reiterates the Pats’ pole position here, mentioning a potential standoff in the event the defending AFC champs do not put a first on the table.
How the draft unfolds will shape other teams’ needs, potentially opening the door to more bids coming in for Brown before June 2. Philly would certainly welcome a bidding war, and how this draft class’ top receivers are dispersed may crystalize offer strength.
The other question here, naturally, covers the scenario in which the Eagles keep Brown and try to make it work with one of the most talented skill-position players in franchise history. Posturing on that front will undoubtedly come, but as it stands, this relationship looks to be on life support. The Patriots would not be inclined to increase their offer significantly based on what is coming out of Philly now. PFR readers believe a trade will happen. Will/should it involve a first-round pick?
I think that after all the drama in Boston and the market already being sold on a trade, the Pats won’t want the fallout of the trade falling through. They will give up a first.
Howie doing business through the media? Shrug. They don’t have to deal him.
From what I saw in the SB, OL should be priority #1. That was embarrassing.
They played by far the weakest schedule of all teams and would have lost to the broncos badly if not for injury. Fake gold.
Pats know their #1 next year is likely top 12 pick
So does Howie