The wait and speculation are over: A.J. Brown is officially a New England Patriot.
Not long after Adam Schefter broke the news Monday afternoon, the Eagles made it official: Philadelphia has traded the star wideout to the New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick; New England has multiple fifth-rounders next year, so it will be the better of the two.
Such ends a spring of trade speculation that almost always viewed New England as Brown's most likely landing spot, as he was originally drafted in by Tennessee in 2019 while Mike Vrabel was the head coach there, and spent his first three seasons with the Titans under the now-Pats head coach.
Vrabel and Brown still maintain contact, with Vrabel speaking about the receiver's development during the NFL Combine amidst rumors, but the primary obstacle to a deal was Philadelphia’s salary cap situation - had the Eagles traded Brown before June 1, they would have absorbed $43.5 million in dead cap this season. By waiting until after June 1, Philadelphia can now spread that cap hit across the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Brown leaves Philly after four seasons where he notched 339 catches for 5,034 yards and 32 TDs, and helped lead the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances and a championship. He was also a two-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time AP All-Pro Second Team selection during his time in Philly as well.
Now, DeVonta Smith now leads a revamped Eagles receiving corps that saw Makai Lemon drafted in the first round, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown added via free agency, and Dontayvion Wicks acquired from Green Bay over the offseason.
