Four years after the Eagles gave up a first-round pick and a third-round pick to acquire receiver A.J. Brown from the Titans, the Eagles acquired a first-round pick and a fifth-round pick when giving up the balance of his contract in a trade with the Patriots.
Along the way, the Eagles went to a pair of Super Bowls, winning one of them.
All in all, the transaction was a big win for the Eagles. Especially on the back end, when it had become obvious that the relationship could not continue.
The Eagles finagled real value for Brown at a time when the Eagles had no real options. No one was offering a first-round pick for Brown in 2027 — in part because everyone knew Brown wanted to go to New England, and only to New England. With the Eagles unable to credibly claim that they simply would have kept Brown on the team in 2026 (after signing two receivers, trading for one, and using a first-round pick on another), the Patriots arguably could have driven a much harder bargain.
Ultimately, Philly’s only leverage came from the timing of the deal. By doing it promptly on June 1, the Patriots got Brown in the door with two weeks of OTAs and a mandatory minicamp remaining in the offseason program. This gives Brown a chance to get his feet wet in the Josh McDaniels offense before training camp opens.
Still, a first-round pick (in 2028) and a fifth-round pick (in 2027) are a lot to give up for a player who turns 29 on June 30, whose knee(s) caused the Rams not to make a trade in March, and who has a contract with an APY of $32 million.
Then there’s the situation involving Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that "[i]t would be naïve, though, not to consider another reason for making the trade now — to distract from the episode involving Vrabel and Dianna Russini. . . . It certainly seems the Patriots were so desperate to move past the Vrabel-Russini story that they were willing to overpay for Brown.”
The theory that doing the deal quickly helps turn the page on the Vrabel-Russini situation is worth considering. But the league-wide notion that Brown was destined to be traded to the Patriots existed weeks before the interlocking-fingers photo emerged in early April (due in part to reporting from Russini). Also, the Vrabel-Russini story has largely subsided, and it will stay that way unless and until she tells her story publicly in a way that creates one or more new complications for Vrabel.
The Patriots always seemed to be the likely destination, and June 1 always seemed to be the right time to get it done, since it created a much lower dead-money charge for the Eagles in 2026. The only question is whether the Eagles could have put the screws to the Patriots by slowing the process down beyond June 1 (perhaps keeping Brown through the end of the New England offseason program) in order to get the terms they wanted.
If the Eagles had decided to play hardball in order to get more from the Patriots, Brown could have done the same. He could have shown up for the offseason program and/or mandatory minicamp. He could have insisted on being able to participate in drills. He could have said whatever he wanted to say about the situation, creating a distraction for the Eagles at a time when they’re hoping to eliminate such issues, not add to them.
However you slice it, it’s a win for the Eagles. It could become a win for the Patriots, if Brown helps them win, and if that 2028 first-round pick lands low in the range of 32 selections.
For now, it’s a very good outcome that could become a lot better for the Eagles (if the Patriots fail in 2027), and an open question as to whether the Patriots will be able to parlay Brown’s arrival into a coup.
The Patriots have a new wide receiver on the roster in A.J. Brown and there could be another trade involving a wideout in their future.
This one would see a current member of the team heading elsewhere, however.
While on an episode of his podcast after the Brown trade became official, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Kayshon Boutte has been interested in a trade this offseason. Boutte has not been taking part in the team’s voluntary wideouts over the last few weeks.
Boutte is entering the final year of his rookie deal after posting 76 catches for 1,140 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two seasons. The presence of Brown and free agent acquisition Romeo Doubs would seem to lower the odds of the Patriots making another long-term investment in a wideout while also working against Boutte having a big year in New England.
Whether that results in a move or not will be something to watch as Week 1 draws closer.
Patriots left tackle Will Campbell offered an update on how his knee is feeling when he spoke to reporters from the team’s facility on Tuesday.
Campbell opted not to speak to the media in the immediate aftermath of New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks, which he later said was because he was emotional after playing poorly and allowing Drake Maye to be pressured 14 times in the game. When Campbell did speak, he also revealed that he had torn a ligament in his knee during the regular season.
Campbell did not have surgery and said his focus on rehab has him feeling back to full strength heading into his second season.
“After the season, my No. 1 goal was just take a couple of days away and just assess everything with the coaches,” Campbell said. “Pinpoint down the things I do really well and then things I need to get better at. Getting back healthy, I did PT five days a week the entire offseason until we got back basically. Just trying to rebuild the strength in my knee to get it back to where it was previously and I feel like I did a good job of that.”
There were questions about Campbell’s ability to be an NFL left tackle heading into the draft, but he quieted many of them during the regular season. The Super Bowl was part of a dreadful playoff run that he and the Patriots are hoping was simply about his injury rather than an upgrade in the competition the Patriots faced after a relatively light regular season slate.
Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown passed his physical and practiced with his new team for the first time on Tuesday. The Patriots have no concerns about Brown’s health, and Brown doesn’t either.
A report in April indicated the Rams had interest in trading for Brown until concerns about his knee prompted them to pass.
Brown injured his right knee in the 2020 season opener against the Broncos and missed one game. He had minor cleanup surgery on both of his knees in 2021.
Brown said his knees are fine.
“No injury, nothing to worry about,” Brown said, via Sophie Weller of USA Today. “You got to understand where I came from, so any conversation about anything is going to come up. So maybe in what, four years, I’ve missed one game from a shot to the knee.
“So that’s nothing to worry about. I’m good. I’m ready to go.”
Brown, who turns 29 this month, enters his eighth season unconcerned about the future. He was asked Tuesday how much he thinks he still has left in his career.
“You’ll see,” Brown said as he left the podium at the conclusion of his news conference.
New Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has worn the No. 11 jersey throughout his NFL career, but in New England, he thinks of that jersey as Julian Edelman’s, and he won’t wear it with the Patriots.
Brown said today that he and Edelman touched base and that Edelman was happy to have him wear 11, but Brown decided to go back to the No. 1 jersey he wore in college at Ole Miss.
“Julian Edelman gave me his grace to wear 11, but I got so much respect and so much love for him, I’m going let that be, and I’m going to create my own legacy here,” Brown said. “And getting back to my roots, I was No. 1 up until I got to the league, and I tried to get No. 1 in Tennessee and I couldn’t because of Warren Moon, and even Philly, I tried to get No. 1, but Jalen [Hurts] just changed to 1 from 2. So it’s a match made in heaven going back to my roots, and it feels good.”
The No. 1 jersey in New England was worn most recently by Ja’Lynn Polk, a wide receiver who had a brief and disappointing career in New England after the Patriots drafted him in the second round in 2024.
