What Will the Inevitable A.J. Brown Trade Look Like?
The end is finally near as June 1 is just days away. After months of speculation, the Philadelphia Eagles will finally be able to officially complete the trade of All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown. Yet it remains to be seen what team Brown will be traded to or what the Eagles will receive in return for the soon-to-be 29-year-old wide receiver.
The New England Patriots have been viewed as the obvious favorite to land Brown in 2026. There are several factors in play that make the Patriots the likely landing spot for the All-Pro wide receiver this offseason. New England is led by head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown with the Tennessee Titans the two have remained close over the years. While Vrabel has been involved in some controversy of his own this offseason, it looks like he’ll be sticking around in New England.
It’s also well known that Brown is a life-long fan of the Patriots. He has talked about his love for the team in the past and shared the moments when he received autographed jerseys from former Patriots players Tom Brady and Julian Edelman on social media. While some will dismiss this as a contributing factor to Brown’s next landing spot, it’s important to keep in mind that he’ll have to want to play wherever he is traded to. It’s not as simple as just trading him to the highest bidder.
The main reason why the Eagles and Brown are even in this situation is that he doesn’t want to play in Philadelphia anymore. There were reports that Brown demanded a trade multiple times during the regular season and therefore, he’ll have to be happy wherever he lands next. Reuniting Brown with Vrabel in New England would check boxes for both sides, especially given the Patriots’ current depth chart at wide receiver:
As you can see, that isn’t exactly the most inspiring group. After moving on from Stefon Diggs, who remains a free agent, New England signed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs. While New England’s fans have been quick to point out that they can just re-sign Diggs and the team would have a better wide receiver group than they did during a run to the Super Bowl last season, it’s not that simple.
The Patriots are set to have a far more difficult schedule during the regular season in 2026. They also fell short in Super Bowl LX largely due to the struggles of the passing game. Diggs, who was viewed as the team’s WR1, hauled in just three receptions for 37 yards on the NFL’s biggest stage. If New England truly felt happy with their options in free agency, they would’ve already made a move there.
Yet here we are just days away from June 1st and we’re seemingly at a stalemate. The Patriots haven’t made any notable additions at wide receiver outside of Doubs and the Eagles have made a ton of additions at wide receiver. Philadelphia selected Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and also added Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore into the mix.
Therefore, my guess is that the Eagles and the Patriots will officially agree to a deal for Brown rather quickly after 4:00 P.M. ET on June 1. Here’s my final projection on what the deal will look like for both sides:
Eagles receive:
2027 third-round pick
2027 sixth-round pick
2028 first-round pick
Patriots receive:
A.J. Brown
2027 second-round pick
Over the last several days, we’ve heard that the Eagles were seeking a 2027 first-round pick and that the Patriots weren’t willing to give one up. Other reports in recent months have mentioned New England’s willingness to give up a 2028 first-round pick, which would make sense for both sides. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been willing to accept future draft compensation further down the line when trading away big name players such as Carson Wentz and Haason Reddick.
Yet the tricky part of this deal is that I believe that New England will want some type of compensation for waiting out the deal. While this may upset Eagles’ fans, I believe that a pick swap involving multiple picks in 2027 could make sense. Philadelphia traded away a 2027 third-round pick in the deal for Jonathan Greenard and they also traded away a 2027 sixth-round pick in the deal for Dontayvion Wicks.
It’s worth noting that the Eagles are expected to receive a compensatory third-round pick for the departure of Jaelan Phillips. Therefore, while the Eagles would be dropping back from the second round to the third round, they would still maintain having two picks on day two of the 2027 NFL Draft, while also recouping another pick on day three. If Philadelphia expects New England to take a step back next season, it could be wise to add one or two of their picks in next year’s draft.
While it would be simpler if the Eagles just traded Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick, my guess is that it’ll ultimately involve a bit more than that. Philadelphia has already made two separate player-involved trades that also included at least three draft picks. I’d expect that trend to continue as they finally find a new home for Brown in 2026.