The New England Patriots have reportedly been trying to trade for A.J. Brown, but they reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with Romeo Doubs on Tuesday.
The immediate reaction was that signing Doubs takes the Patriots out of the A.J. Brown sweepstakes. However, MassLive's Karen Guregian reported that Brown remains in play for the Patriots.
"With Doubs in the fold, does that mean the Patriots are out of the receiver business?" Guregian questioned on Tuesday. "Will that deal prevent them from pursuing A.J. Brown? According to a source, not necessarily. The Patriots haven’t folded up the tent on the pursuit of Brown."
Doubs is currently slated to be the Patriots' No. 1 receiver. He is coming from an offense that built itself on running the ball and spreading targets in the run game. Now, Doubs will get a chance to shine as a No. 1 receiver. However, it does not change the fact that he is unproven as a No. 1 receiver.
Brown has proven he can be an elite wide receiver in the NFL already. He has posted six 1,000-yard seasons and helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to two Super Bowls, winning one of them as well. He would be an elite option for Drake Maye, and clearly a better No. 1 receiver than Doubs.
After it was revealed that Stefon Diggs would not be back, it became clear that the Patriots were going to add a receiver. However, adding Doubs likely keeps their receiver room about where it was last season with Diggs. Adding Brown now would make the room much better than it was last season.
Doubs and Brown could become an elite tandem for Maye as he looks to get the Patriots back to the Super Bowl.
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