A.J. Brown gestures as an insider reports he will be traded to the Patriots.
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A.J. Brown appears headed to the Patriots, according to a top NFL insider.
The New England Patriots may have emerged as the only possible trade destination for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, according to leading NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
One day after they informed veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs that he would be released after just one season in New England, the Patriots are reportedly diving headlong into the trade market for a deep threat to pair with quarterback Drake Maye, the NFL’s top-rated explosive-play passer last year. After Chicago Bears receiver D.J. Moore went to the Buffalo Bills Thursday morning, the Patriots are believed to be eyeing a deal for the Philadelphia Eagles three-time Pro Bowl pass catcher A.J. Brown, according to one top NFL insider.
If Brown is traded, it will only be to the Patriots, according to that insider, Rapoport. Otherwise, the seven-year veteran will stay in Philadelphia, Rapoport said in an online video Thursday afternoon.
Brown has often been linked with a move to the Patriots. He reportedly grew up a Patriots fan and in a podcast interview with retired Patriots three-time Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Julian Edelman, Brown responded with a smile and a wink when Edelman suggested he might be New England-bound.
In an Instagram post earlier in the season, Brown unveiled a Patriots jersey as if it were his own, playing what amounted to a somewhat unfeeling prank on Eagles fans.
“So it certainly seems like it’s going to be the Patriots or the Eagles for A.J. Brown with an answer likely coming pretty soon,” Rapoport said in his online video.
Why Eagles May Hold Off on Trading Brown
Patriots fans probably should not get too excited too soon about the prospect of a Brown trade. Moving Brown now would be an expensive proposition for the Eagles, who owe the receiver the $45 million that remains on his three-year, $94 million contract extension.
“Critically, that contract came with $84 million in guarantee money, and that’s the sticking point here,” wrote analyst James Dator of SB Nation on Thursday. If the Eagles were to trade Brown right now then the signing bonus would accelerate into their current cap, rather than allowing them to stretch it over two seasons. As a result the Eagles would take a $43 million dead cap hit, while adding an astonishing $20 million.
The Patriots, on the other hand, have $39 million in cap space available, and could easily accommodate the $23.4 million cap hit they would take by acquiring Brown.
What Would the Price for Brown Be?
The Eagles’ asking price for Brown is likely to be steep, according to another NFL Network reporter, Mike Garofolo, speaking on the network’s Good Morning Football show Wednesday.
“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,” the NFL Network reporter said in the interview. “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 (Eagles general manager) Howie Roseman moves him.”
Would the Patriots be willing to part with a first-round pick for Brown? Because they got to the Super Bowl last season, the Patriots draft low in both the first and second rounds — 31st overall in the first round, and 95th in the second. If the Patriots believe they cannot get a better player than Brown with either of those picks, they may be inclined to send them Philadelphia’s way to get Maye his deep-threat receiver.