A.J. Brown
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The Patriots appear to have missed out on a trade for Eagles' wide receiver A.J. Brown
The New England Patriots have been active to begin the offseason, but all eyes remain on a potential trade for Philadelphia Eagles‘ wide receiver A.J. Brown. The Pats have consistently been linked to Brown for what feels like weeks now, but they cannot seem to put together a trade package that will get the Eagles to bite.
After talks cooled throughout the week, they reportedly picked up on Friday, as Philadelphia is experiencing some salary cap issues. While New England and the Los Angeles Rams both made serious pushes for Brown, it sounds like both teams have come up short for the time being, per the latest update on the situation.
Eagles Not Trading A.J. Brown for the Time Being
Dianna Russini
After serious conversations with both the Rams and Patriots, the Eagles will not trade A.J. Brown at this time, according to multiple league sources.
Both teams remain interested, but no move is imminent. If a trade were to happen, it would likely heat up closer to June 1.
New England knew it would need help at wide receiver this offseason, and that was before it released Stefon Diggs. Brown has always made sense as a logical trade target, given the Pats’ needs and his connection to head coach Mike Vrabel. However, the Eagles’ high asking price has turned the Patriots, and just about every other suitor, away for the time being.
The Patriots signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract earlier this week, but that didn’t necessarily take them out of the running for Brown. With the Eagles having to make a decision on tight end Dallas Goedert’s contract on Friday, it seemed like if they were to trade Brown in order to clear up some cap space, it would happen on Friday.
Instead, the deadline for the team’s decision on Goedert was pushed back to Monday, and shortly thereafter, a major update on Brown’s status was revealed. While that may have seemingly opened the door for Brown to get dealt at some point over the weekend, the opposite has become true, as Philly reportedly will not be trading its superstar wide receiver “at this time.”
“After serious conversations with both the Rams and Patriots, the Eagles will not trade A.J. Brown at this time, according to multiple league sources,” Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported in a post on X. “Both teams remain interested, but no move is imminent. If a trade were to happen, it would likely heat up closer to June 1.”
Patriots Hopes of Trading for A.J. Brown Aren’t Dead Yet
A.J. Brown, Los Angeles Rams
GettyA.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on before a game against the Denver Broncos.
There’s been a lot of posturing between both sides as these trade talks have unfolded, as both front offices have been intent on getting the most out of a possible deal for Brown. So in a sense, it’s worth taking all these rumors with a grain of salt. The Eagles don’t have to make a decision on Goedert’s contract until Monday, which means they could conceivably continue discussing a trade with the Patriots over the weekend.
Of course, Philadelphia could hold off on trading Brown until after June 1, which would help them from a salary cap perspective, as it would spread his dead cap hit out over the 2026 and 2027 seasons. New England may not have landed Brown on Friday, but these trade talks aren’t dead yet, even if they have been put on hold for the time being.