On Friday, Nick “Fitzy” Stevens called into WEEI Afternoons to share some intel he received from a reliable source as it relates to a possible draft day trade between the Patriots and the Eagles.
And folks, it’s a doozy.
Here’s what Fitzy had to say on WEEI:
“Earlier today, a little birdie with some really good intelligence - a well sourced phone call came to me to offer this possible scenario:
“If somebody that we wanted the Patriots to select very badly, Abdul Carter, were to fall to fourth - and I know the scenario is slightly unlikely. If he were to fall at fourth overall, how would you feel about a certain team that recently won the Super Bowl calling up your New England Patriots in desperation and want of Abdul Carter, and offering a certain wide receiver who has admitted that he loves New England and would love to play for the Patriots and possibly more selections in a blockbuster draft day trade?
“That's right, I got a call earlier today saying that the Philadelphia Eagles really, really, really want Abdul Carter and that they would consider, or rather are planning, to call your New England Patriots on draft day, if Carter falls to four, to see if Mike Vrabel would like a reunion with AJ Brown, and possibly more draft selections and compensation to come.
“So there you go, folks. There is your latest pick No. 4 rumor. It is a good one, and I thought that I would chum the waters today for the pick No. 4 dialogue. AJ Brown and more compensation possibly to the Patriots if Abdul Carter falls to four.”
This bit of intel from Fitzy isn’t the first time Brown and the Patriots have been linked this offseason.
In January, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made a point to praise Brown’s growth in an interview with The Greg Hill Show after the 27-year-old was seen reading Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life while sitting on the bench in a playoff game where he was held to just 1 catch for 10 yards on 3 targets.
Patriots fans and media alike saw this as Vrabel’s way of subtly recruiting the All-Pro receiver to New England, reuniting the former Titan with his former head coach.
“I think AJ is just trying to find ways to release – I'm proud of his development, his personal development, and working on himself and working on getting back to center," Vrabel said. "He’s a passionate player, I love him to death, and I have a very, very close relationship with him.”
With Brown publicly venting frustrations earlier in the 2024, and with rumors of frustrations with the team surfacing during the 2023 season, it’s fair to wonder if Brown would be open to a new NFL home. With a Super Bowl ring on his finger and the bag secured after signing a three-year extension with the Eagles worth $96 million last April ($84 million guaranteed), maybe Brown believes a reunion with Vrabel would provide him with the “extraordinary performance and the best possible life” that he’s in search of.
Adding more fuel to the Brown fire in March was NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, who told Jones & Keefe that 6-foot-1 stud was a “much more reasonable get” for New England than the likes of Tee Higgins, D.K. Metcalf or Brandon Aiyuk.
“I love A.J. Brown,” said Curran. “And I love the fact that you’re actually sensible enough to go back to A.J. Brown instead of barking-up the Tee Higgins/D.K. Metcalf/Aiyuk [tree], who are just not gonna happen. A.J. Brown is a much more reasonable get. Why would the Eagles divorce themselves from him? I don’t know, exactly. But that’s reasonable.
“When Vrabel talked [at the combine] about ‘option-A, B and C’ - if you’re the Patriots right now, who’s your option-A at wide receiver? I just talked about this with Phil Perry on my pod. He said that he’s making Chris Godwin his ‘option-A,’ putting everything into him. But you should also be sending drinks over to Davante Adams, in my estimation. Because you have to pivot quick if he goes back to Tampa, if he signs some place else - boom, you’re in on Davante Adams. And if not - meanwhile, you’re also making calls to Howie Roseman about, ‘What can we get, what can we send you for A.J. Brown?’”
Obviously much of the second part of this quote from Curran is dated, but the point still remains. Has a dialogue between the Patriots and Eagles been in place since the legal tampering period earlier this spring? Was the answer to Curran’s hypothetical question from Vrabel to Roseman, “The No. 4 pick if Abdul Carter is available?”
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 NFL Draft is five days away.
More sourced rumors from around the football world are on the way.
Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ offseason.