For much of the offseason, the expectation has been that the Eagles will trade receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots after June 1 — when Philadelphia can spread the dead cap charge for the transaction over multiple years.
There are players on New England’s roster who have spoken as if they believe the move is, at the very least, pretty close to a done deal.
But head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t really come close to that line when he was asked in his Wednesday press conference whether or not the Patriots might be looking at upgrading their group of wideouts, perhaps as soon as within the next week.
"[W]e want to continue to improve the roster at every opportunity that we get,” Vrabel said. “And when those opportunities arise, I don’t know. 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.
“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.”
Vrabel, of course, cannot directly address Brown at this point, as that could constitute tampering.
But with June 1 now under a week away, it may not be long until coach and receiver are reunited.
Patriots receiver Kyle Williams, a third-round pick in 2025, had only 10 catches as a rookie, and only two in four postseason games. He’s hoping to make a major improvement in 2026.
Via Mike Reiss of ESPN, Williams has focused on improving his lower-body strength during the offseason. He has gained five to eight pounds.
Per Reiss, Williams says he’s in the range of 190 to 193 pounds.
Williams hopes to do more work in the middle of the field. He’s also intent on building chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye and mastering the team’s playbook.
The passing attack in New England undoubtedly will be very different this season. Stefon Diggs has been released. Romeo Doubs has arrived. And A.J. Brown could still be on the way.
Williams will have extra competition for reps and targets. The offseason work seems to be all about getting more than his 336 snaps in 2025 (31 percent) and 21 total regular-season targets.
June 1 is eight days away. An A.J. Brown trade is as little as nine days away.
As of June 2, the Eagles can trade Brown and spread the dead-money charge over two years. Most believe it’s just a matter of time before the trade happens. Most believe Brown will be traded to the Patriots.
Watch the video attached to this post. Patriots safety Kevin Byard and receiver Romeo Doubs recently spoke openly about the arrival of Brown as if it’s a done deal.
It’s entirely possible that the deal is unofficially done. Trade terms agreed to, and both teams keeping their mouths shut until Brown passes a physical and both teams communicate the terms of the transaction to the league office.
The Maxx Crosby fiasco from March was a lesson to all teams about not letting the cart get in front of the horse. Say nothing until the deal is official.
Could another team swoop in with a better offer? If the Patriots and Eagles have unofficially worked out a deal, and if both sides honor a transaction that remains unofficial until it becomes official, it’s too late for that.
Some are still suggesting the Rams could make a run at Brown. That ship sailed in March, when the Rams decided not to proceed based on the available medical information — and when the Rams allowed $24 million in 2026 compensation for receiver Davante Adams to become fully guaranteed.
If the Rams had done the deal, they would have traded Adams. It’s not impossible for someone else to enter the A.J. fray, especially if the Chiefs are suddenly having misgivings about whether Rashee Rice can be trusted after his recent probation violation.
For now, all signs are still pointing to Brown becoming a Patriot as soon as June 2.
North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, who didn’t spend much time talking to the media a year ago when promoting his book, submitted this week to a pair of lengthy podcast interviews. His sudden willingness to be so chatty raises an obvious question: Why now?
Consider the recent public criticisms from former North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez.
Lopez, who transferred to Wake Forest one year after transferring to North Carolina, didn’t hold back about his concerns about playing for Belichick.
“Back at the other school, it felt like there’s no air,” Lopez said. “Here, it’s fun again. They’re moving us in the right direction, energized, and guys are enjoying football. It’s like fresh air. I’d never had to respond to tough situations like that on that loud of a scale. . . .
“It was more like work. After that first game, it felt like getting through the day. You don’t want to live like that, where you’re up at night thinking about the next day.”
That wasn’t from some random player. It came from the quarterback who started 11 games for Belichick in his first year at UNC.
Lopez’s comments came to light two weeks ago. It’s reasonable to think those remarks hit hard in Chapel Hill, prompting Belichick or someone close to him to urge the curmudgeon to make himself seem more likable (or less unlikable) by submitting to interviews with Pardon My Take and Sean Hannity.
Both shows gave Belichick very favorable treatment. Hannity (who claims he’s a huge football fan but who asked multiple questions that revealed a fundamental lack of awareness as to certain obvious facts any huge football fan would know) repeatedly fawned over Belichick.
At one point, for instance, Hannity said to Belichick, “You could have stayed in the NFL as long as you want to, I think. That’s my opinion. I think you know that, too. I’m sure you had offers.”
Belichick, who didn’t correct Hannity, has had no offers to coach another NFL team, in three hiring cycles. In all, Belichick has had one interview.
Without question, Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports. His omission from the 2026 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame strips the institution of any remaining credibility it had.
Still, Belichick is hardly flawless. His first year in college football was a disaster, in part because Belichick and his consigliere, G.M. Mike Lombardi, set the bar way too high by dubbing the program the NFL’s 33rd franchise. And Belichick apparently didn’t modulate his approach to factor in the mindset of young players in the NIL era. As evidenced by Lopez’s willingness to say what he said.
Belichick was asked about Lopez’s comments in neither of the podcast appearances, both of which lasted more than an hour and a half.
Blind hero worship doesn’t properly capture Belichick’s current reality. During the PMT appearance, Belichick had his Super Bowl trophies in the background and a box of Super Bowl rings to his right. The entire goal seemed to be reminding current college football players (and, perhaps more importantly, their parents) that the current coach of the Tar Heels has more than a few pelts on the wall.
Will that be enough to get them to buy in to Belichick’s approach? The real question is whether he plans to change his approach, or whether his recent media tour is simply about putting out the brushfire so that he can get back to doing things the way he has always done them: My way, or go away.
The Patriots signed undrafted rookie defensive tackle Travis Shaw, the team announced Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, the Patriots cut long snapper Niko Lalos.
Shaw, 21, played his first three college seasons at North Carolina (2022-24) before transferring to Texas for the 2025 season. The 6-foot-5, 334-pounder appeared in 50 games with one start during his college career.
He finished with 68 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
Last season at Texas, Shaw played in 13 games with one start and finished with 13 total tackles.
Lalos, 28, signed with New England on March 16. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent defensive end with the Giants out of Dartmouth in 2020.
The 6-foot-5, 269-pounder began his rookie season on the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for three games before the Giants signed him to the active roster in December. Overall, he played six games and finished with five tackles and a fumble recovery during the 2020 season.
Lalos spent the 2021 season on the Giants’ practice squad and spent time on the Saints’ practice squad in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He was also with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.
