Star receiver A.J. Brown traded to Patriots in blockbuster deal

 

Star receiver A.J. Brown traded to Patriots in blockbuster deal

A.J. Brown after a game with the Eagles. Credit: totalprosports.com 

A.J. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Patriots on June 1 after meeting the designation following a troubling 2025 season. 

Brown was sent to the Patriots in exchange for two future draft picks. The picks are for a 2028 first-round and 2027 fifth rounder to the Eagles. The deal reunites coach Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown in New England for the first time since they were together in Tennessee, where Brown was drafted in the second round at pick 51. Brown was with Vrabel from 2019-2022 with the Titans.  

The A.J. Brown trade rumors started in November 2025 when it was reported that Brown was not happy with the performance of Philadelphia's offense and his role within it. There were on-field tensions with Quarterback Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni that went on during the season, according to an article by nfl.com. 

Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman insisted that they were not going to trade Brown by the deadline. “When you’re trying to be a great team, it’s just hard to trade great players,” Roseman said to reporters. “He wears the “C” for a reason,” Roseman continued. 

Roseman emphasized that Brown “cares about winning, cares about his teammates.” He also added “you don’t just get rid of guys like that.” 

The 2025 campaign was Brown’s second-lowest yards-wise. He had 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, playing in 15 games. He was targeted 121 times and 78 receptions, per nfl.com. 

Since joining the Eagles in 2022, Brown was special in Philly. He holds the two highest single-season receiving totals in franchise history. He had 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 yards in 2023. He helped the Eagles win two NFC titles and a super bowl in three years, per nfl.com. 

It was expected that Brown would join the Patriots over the past few months. The Patriots had to wait until the June 1 designation to get the deal. The Eagles would’ve taken on his cap hit of $43.5 million in 2026, per phillyvoice.com. 

Waiting until June 1 to trade him means that the Eagles could spread that cap out over the course of two years as opposed to being hit all at once in a season. 

New England has been productive this offseason with the trading for A.J. Brown. They also signed Free Agent receiver Romeo Doubs. Ultimately, the Patriots still needed a true number one receiver and the stars aligned to bring Brown in. 

The Patriots had a number one receiver for the first time in 2025 with Stefon Diggs. In 17 games, Diggs had 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Diggs was the first 1,000-yard receiver for New England since Julian Edelman in 2019. The Patriots went back to the drawing board for a number one receiver after releasing Diggs in the 2025 offseason over the home chef strangulation incident.