A.J. Brown continues to loom as a potential top-level addition to the Patriots' receivers room.
A.J. Brown continues to loom as a potential top-level addition to the Patriots' receivers room.Terrance Williams/Associated Press
Welcome back to the mailbag. This week, we have questions on A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs, Jaylinn Hawkins, and more. Let’s get to it.
With the initial free-agency player additions and departures now well underway, do you still think there is a chance the Pats can work a deal for A.J. Brown? In my opinion, Brown would clearly be a huge upgrade for Drake Maye. He would open up the offense and possibly be the best receiver the Pats have had since the days of Randy Moss.
— Chip Huckins, Westmoreland, N.H.
What are the chances of getting A.J. Brown in a trade from the Eagles? What will it take in players and draft picks to get him?
— Peter Milewski, Marshfield
Good, but these things can be fluid and change radically overnight for a number of reasons. For example, if the Patriots take Indiana’s Omar Cooper at No. 31, that could be a referendum on their feelings about their receiver room without Brown. But in my experience, it would probably take two picks, including one somewhere in the top 50, to land him in a trade.
Right now, there are two dates to keep an eye on. One, the first day of the NFL Draft. If the Eagles are interested in the 31st pick (and a Day 2 choice) this year, they’d have to jump before then. They’d have the pick(s) this year, but they’d be on the hook for more than $40 million in dead cap money if they pulled the trigger on a deal. The second is June 1. If they consummate the trade after that, Philly would be focused on a pick (or picks) in 2027, but they’d lessen the dead money cost.
There’s a school of thought that with the Patriots expected to regress slightly in 2026 — tougher schedule, etc. — New England would have a better first-round pick in 2027 than No. 31, so it would behoove the Eagles to wait if they thought they could get a first-rounder for Brown.
In the end, that’s just one of several things to consider when you start deconstructing some of the possibilities around this deal.
How are you liking the Pats offseason work efforts so far? What letter grade do you give the front office right now?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
It’s been mostly positive, but I’d still give them an incomplete, especially given they’re in a spot where they have to nail the draft if they want to fill in some key positions. (Depth at offensive line and edge, as well as tight end.) There’s also the Brown question that looms over everything.
Ultimately? It’s been good, but there’s still a lot of offseason to consider.
I was really surprised the Patriots let Jaylinn Hawkins go for two years and $10 million to the Ravens. It seemed like every game last year he was all over the field, and $5 million a year doesn’t seem particularly onerous. What gives?
— Bob McCrystal, Millis
I know both sides were talking throughout the early stages of the free-agency process, but I think things changed a bit for New England when it came to the possibility of adding Kevin Byard. The veteran is a clear favorite of Mike Vrabel going back to Tennessee, and it’s my understanding that when Hawkins’ reps and the Patriots couldn’t agree on a number, they quickly decided to pivot to Byard. I don’t think Vrabel would have thrown over Hawkins for too many guys at the position, but the fact that Byard was available really changed things for all concerned.
Why not retain Stefon Diggs?
— Mo, Worceste
They didn’t want to retain him if it meant absorbing a cap hit of just over $25 million, an understandable decision on a receiver who will turn 33 in November. He wanted to stay in that financial neighborhood, and I believe he wants a chance to join a team that figures to be competitive in 2026. By all accounts, the two sides shook hands and parted ways without much bad blood.
The Patriots overachieved last year, to everyone’s pleasant surprise. So with that in mind, instead of trading several picks for the likes of A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby, why wouldn’t they just stick with getting more young talent on the cheap with draft picks? Because last year’s draft was exceptionally good.
— Jim Deveau, Pawleys Island, S.C.
All fair points. After talking to people at the combine, it certainly feels like the Patriots acknowledge they aren’t just one player away from a title, and that they have to keep building out the roster. At the end of the day, the front office needs to find a way to balance the sense of urgency that comes with having a young quarterback on a rookie contract with a steady and consistent team-building approach that ultimately gets them to where they want to be.
So far, they have done well to walk that line. We’ll see if they can continue.
Some letters have been edited for length or clarity.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.