April 24, 2026, 7:37 p.m. ET
The New England Patriots’ chances of trading for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown took a new turn after Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman did not deviate from the team’s stance on Brown being a member of the Eagles after the first round of the draft came and went.
“A.J. is a member of the Eagles,” Roseman said. “We don’t have any trades that have been made, or that are done. And I think for us, we’re taking this one day at a time. We’re going to look to improve the team tomorrow, and we’ll continue to address anything that we have to with our roster, not only through this draft weekend, but we’ll continue to look for ways to improve the team throughout the offseason, and as we get into training camp.”
The Eagles drafted USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft. Philadelphia’s decision to go with one of the top wide receivers in this year’s draft class hints at the team’s willingness to trade Brown, as expected, with Lemon now in town as his expected replacement.
The Patriots are the team most expected to pull off a deal for Brown. Trade talks are anticipated to take place on or around June 1 and materialize into a deal between both teams. New England has an even greater chance at pulling off a deal for Brown, now that Philadelphia has a receiver in Lemon with All-Pro potential, as well as the ability to play both in the slot and on the outside.
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