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The New England Patriots got a concerning update on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and the current state of trade negotiations.
It has long since been a foregone conclusion that the Philadelphia Eagles were going to trade wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots once the calendar turned to June. The only question has been what the Patriots will be sending back.
Now, it appears negotiations have hit a snag. The Eagles want a first-round pick, but the Patriots don’t want to give up that much for Brown. NFL insider Ian Rapoport explained the status of negotiations on NFL Network.
As far as the actual trade, though, we’re all waiting for June 1st to happen so the cap hit happens for the Philadelphia Eagles, so they can trade him,” Rapoport said. “I just don’t know it’s snap your fingers, and the deal is done because the two sides are where they had been, which is the Eagles wanting a first-round pick in 2027. The Patriots, the most likely destination, we’ll see if someone else surprises, but the Patriots are the most likely destination, not willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now. That means they’re not particularly close and that means there’s a chance this could drag on for the foreseeable future.”
If Rapoport’s reporting is correct, then the Brown trade is not as done and dusted as it previously seemed. He’s not alone with that concern. Mike Garafolo also warned that trade negotiations need to be “rebooted” and could go into July. Others have still set the date for early June. That includes Mike Florio.
The Philadelphia Eagles Could Benefit from Delaying A.J. Brown Trade With New England Patriots
GettyWide Receiver A.J. Brown
While the New England Patriots are seen as the overwhelming favorite to land A.J. Brown, things can change. If things do change for a team, like a receiver suffering an injury in OTAs, then they may become interested in Brown again, though. That could create a kind of bidding war.
If the Patriots are currently bidding against themselves, they can afford to try and wait the Eagles out. However, a second offer would force the Patriots to likely increase their urgency to add Brown.
At the same time, it doesn’t appear like there are currently any other teams interested in Brown. ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently explained that situation.
“It feels like the closer we get to June 1, the more the A.J. Brown chatter is starting to pick up,” Adam Schefter said. “Now, we’re starting to hear about other teams entering the mix. I was on a Philadelphia radio show this morning. They brought up the idea that the Rams could be getting back in. They brought up the idea that the Jaguars could be getting back in. That’s interesting.”
There is a major issue for all of these teams. They largely lack the salary cap space to add Brown. On the other hand, the Patriots do have that space. On top of that, those teams also already had that opportunity to pursue Brown and largely passed.
“I will remain in the camp that we’ve been in for the last 6-7 weeks. Which is that I still think [AJ Brown] is getting traded. I still think he’s getting traded on or shortly after June 1. I still think the New England Patriots are going away the lead contender to land AJ Brown this offseason. I don’t care what other teams come up in connection with A.J. Brown trade talks between now and June 1,” Schefter said.
“Don’t care about what conversations there are. These other teams have had their opportunities throughout the offseason. There were conversations with the Rams that did not result in a deal. I don’t know about Jacksonville. I don’t even know where that’s coming from, but I still think that the New England Patriots make the most sense. I still think when all is said and done that the Patriots will wind up agreeing to a deal that will land AJ Brown in New England.”
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Was Asked About A.J. Brown
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown
With OTAs underway in New England, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the media on Wednesday. There, he was asked about A.J. Brown and upgrading at wide receiver.
“We want to continue to improve the roster every opportunity that we get,” Vrabel said. “And when those opportunities arise, I don’t know.”
Vrabel, of course, can’t directly address Brown. That would be considered tampering. Instead, he insisted that he is happy with their current group.
“I know the guys that we have here are working extremely hard. I would say yesterday’s first OTA was much better than last year’s. I have to take the coaches’ opinion, because I didn’t go back and watch last year’s first day. But I felt like yesterday was really positive. It was good to see Romeo [Doubs] out there — it was good to see some of the new faces, some of the young guys,” Vrabel added.
“So, again, we’re going to look to strengthen the roster wherever we can. But it was also a great day to see guys who maybe didn’t get as many opportunities last year, especially Romeo, who wasn’t on our team.”
So, now it’s a matter of time. There is seemingly no doubt that Brown is getting shipped out of Philadelphia. It’s just a matter of to who and for how much.
Dan Morrison After graduating from UMass in 2019, Dan Morrison quickly began a career in sports journalism and digital media. That has seen him work both as a contributing writer at several publications, as well as spending time on the National News Desk at On3. During that time, he has spent the majority of his time covering football, both at the college and NFL levels. Currently residing in Central Florida, his focus with Heavy is on the NFL. More about Dan Morrison