A.J.

Brown

Rapoport notes that the Eagles still want a first-round pick for Brown while the Pats haven’t budged in that regard. He added that the trade discussions could “drag on for the foreseeable future.” Brown’s relationships with the team and his quarterback seem to be broken beyond repair, and they already drafted his replacement in Makai Lemon. The Eagles shouldn’t have much leverage in the situation, but the Pats are also in desperate need of a true No. 1 receiver. The deal was initially expected to be made official on June 1st, when the cap hit for Philly becomes more manageable. Now it looks like things could drag on toward training camp.

This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months. Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee. The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City. “But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

“Neither side is committed to it, but both I believe are expected to make it happen ... It’s not going to be hard to get done. The Eagles are open to moving him, the Patriots want him, and I believe in the end it will involve a future first-round draft pick. My guess is 2028,” Schefter told the man who only wears tank tops. It makes sense that the 2027 first-round pick would be off limits as it’s expected to be a much better and deeper draft class. The Athletic’s Chad Graff filed a post-draft 53-man roster projection in which Kayshon Boutte is a “substitution for ... Brown” and believes Boutte is the “most likely receiver to head to Philadelphia in a trade.” We still have another month before this can finally just happen.

Designating the trade as a post-June 1st transaction allows the Eagles to split Brown’s $40 million salary cap hit between 2026 and 2027 rather than taking it all on in one season. Nothing is guaranteed, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that the trade “is now considered likely.” The move would reunite Brown and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown from 2019-2021 with the Titans.

The Eagles begin their offseason workout program on Monday, but Brown is not expected to report to the team, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Brown has long been rumored to be a player on the move this offseason, with the Patriots viewed as the most likely landing spot over the last few months. While talks have stalled between the two sides as of late, Schefter reports that “conversations are expected to resume shortly on or before June 1,” which would allow the Eagles to split the $40 million cap hit between 2026 and 2027 rather than taking it all on in one season. While another suitor could still emerge for Brown’s services, the Patriots are the clear-cut leader in the clubhouse to land the star receiver.

It would be surprising if Brown were on the Eagles in 2026 given how things have trended. For the last month, all Eagles decision makers can say is People Are Asking Questions About My “A.J. Brown Is An Eagle” T-Shirt. Darlington says this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Eagles will draft a wideout in the first round — it’s a deep wide receiver class and the Eagles have already added Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks — but (our speculation) it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they wind up with a top-100 pick at wideout.

“What do you think the odds are that I’m answering this question any different than I answered it anywhere else? Like really, do you think that’s 50 percent? Do you think it’s 75 percent?” Roseman essentially lampooned the Philadelphia press corps. We’d be surprised at this point if Brown were an Eagle on August 1, especially after they traded for Dontayvion Wicks last week. It remains the biggest unresolved story of the offseason.

When asked about the possibility of the Patriots acquiring A.J. Brown, Wolf opted to go with the broad answer while refusing to shut the door on the idea of a trade eventually being worked out with the Eagles. The Patriots remain the team most likely to acquire Brown at some point in the offseason, but talks have stalled as of late. There’s some belief that Brown will ultimately be dealt to the Patriots in June, when the salary-cap situation becomes more tenable for the Eagles to consider such a trade. For now, we will continue to wait and see, but don’t rule out the possibility of the Pats adding a high-impact receiver to help Drake Maye before training camp.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter breaks the news, adding that Wicks will now sign a one-year, $12.5 million extension with the Eagles. Over the last four weeks, they also signed WR Hollywood Brown and WR Elijah Moore as well. Schefter reminds us that if the Eagles were to trade away WR A.J. Brown, that would probably happen after June 1st, “when the cap burden would be more manageable for the Eagles.” As things currently stand, Wicks will likely compete for WR3 duties. The trade also leaves Packers WR Christian Watson, WR Jayden Reed and WR Matthew Golden as the team’s top-three options after allowing WR Romeo Doubs to sign with the Patriots last month. The Eagles tacked on an additional year to Wicks’ contract after the deal, tying him to the franchise through the 2027 season. The extension includes $12.5 million in maximum money with $9 million guaranteed.

As we feel we have blurbed every week since March started, the salary-cap implications become more tenable for the Eagles to trade Brown after June 1. Sando quotes one executive as saying “It seems just a matter of waiting until June 1 passes for Philly to trade A.J. Brown, who in my opinion is a declining player each of the last three seasons.” Pats coach Mike Vrabel didn’t dismiss any talks for Brown, nor did Eagles GM Howie Roseman say anything but that Brown is “a member of the Eagles” at the NFL Owner’s Meetings this past week.