The New England Patriots have been linked to Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown in trade rumors, but his asking price may be too high.
Brown has teased joining the Patriots in the past, and he recently did so again on a podcast appearance with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. Mike Vrabel has spoken about his relationship with Brown this offseason and even noted that the Patriots would not rule out trading for him. All of that, paired with Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni's comments about Brown's status on the team, makes him a realistic trade candidate.
While the Patriots have been a popular landing spot in rumors, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo dropped a discouraging trade update.
"My understanding is that teams are making offers to the Eagles for a trade, and to this point, they have not gotten to the point at which the Eagles would make the deal," Garafolo said on NFL Network on Wednesday. "In their mind, it's a potential Quinnen Williams-type deal. We're talking a potential first-round pick with a second-round sweetener. That's kind of where it is for the Eagles to start to consider moving A.J. Brown. If they don't get to that point, I don't think Howie Roseman moves him."
The Patriots may not want to pay that price and pick up Brown's contract. There are other options at receiver in free agency that are younger than Brown and can be just as productive in the Patriots' offense.
Alec Pierce, Mike Evans and Romeo Doubs are all slated to be available and would not cost the Patriots a first-round pick. At this point, the Patriots may want the price for Brown to drop before making any kind of trade.
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