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Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton ranked the New England Patriots trading for wide receiver AJ Brown one of the top moves of the NFL offseason.
Pundits expected the New England Patriots to acquire wide receiver AJ Brown for weeks. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still a terrific move.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton rated it as such when he put together a list of the top 25 moves of the 2026 NFL offseason.
Moton placed the Patriots trading for Brown in the No. 6-10 top offseason moves tier.
“We all saw this move coming, though it’s still impactful,” wrote Moton. “With an average receiver group, quarterback Drake Maye finished second in 2025 MVP voting, throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a league-leading 72 percent completion rate.
“Expect him to top those numbers with A.J. Brown, his new No. 1 wideout, who averages 15.3 yards per catch.”
Brown certainly elevated the Philadelphia Eagles offense while he played in the NFC East. During his four seasons, the Eagles won two NFC championships and a Super Bowl title.
In all four seasons, Brown posted at least 1,000 receiving yards.
Patriots Acquired New WR1 on June 1
GettyThe New England Patriots acquired AJ Brown to be their new No. 1 wide receiver.
After weeks of speculation, the Patriots finally executed a trade for the 28-year-old wideout on June 1. That day proved to be a pivotal date for a Brown trade because waiting until June allowed the Eagles to have massive salary cap savings.
The Patriots appeared happy to wait as long as they landed the top receiver. New England agreed to send a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-rounder to the Eagles for Brown.
The 3-time second-team All-Pro didn’t come close to his 15.3 yards per catch career average last season. But that was likely more the fault of the Eagles offense than Brown.
Brown’s relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts and the rest of the team grabbed a lot of headlines. But Philadelphia experienced significant problems on offense, including injuries up front and a far less efficient ground attack.
In 2022 and 2024, the two seasons the Eagles won the NFC championship with Brown on the roster, the wideout averaged at least 16.1 yards per catch.
The 2022 campaign is his best season to date when he had 88 receptions, 1,496 receiving yards and 11 scores.
AJ Brown’s Early Impact at Patriots Offseason Workouts
GettyBleacher Report’s Moe Moton ranked the New England Patriots trading for wide receiver AJ Brown one of the top moves of the NFL offseason.
It’s only offseason workouts, but Brown is already having an impact for the Patriots.
His new teammates expressed to the media how impressed they are with his rare combination of size and speed. Mass Live’s Mark Daniels argued it’s impossible to miss Brown on the practice field because of his physical presence.
“Brown finished the practice with two catches on three targets,” wrote Daniels. “He received more reps on Tuesday than he did last week in OTAs, which marked his first practice with the Patriots.
“His teammates were excited that the team traded for the Pro Bowler.”
With that in mind, it’s hard to overstate what kind of impact Brown could have on the New England offense this fall. The Patriots lost their 2025 leading receiver in Stefon Diggs, but Brown is a bigger, younger target.
In his entire NFL career, Brown has averaged about 1,147 receiving yards per season. He’s also scored at least seven touchdowns during each of the past four campaigns.
Diggs had 85 catches, 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
Drake Maye is likely going to love throwing passes to Brown. The impact he could have is why Moton rated the Brown trade one of the best moves of the NFL offseason.
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb