Wide receiver A.J. Brown’s final season with the Eagles featured a lot of talk about his dissatisfaction with the team’s offense and the nature of his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Brown weighed in on the latter topic during an interview with Maria Taylor after Monday’s long-awaited trade to the Patriots. Brown said he doesn’t understand why there was so much attention paid to his relationship with Hurts, but acknowledged that the two men are “not as close as we once were” by the end of their final season together.
The receiver insisted “that didn’t stop anything” the team was trying to do on the field and said there was no particular incident that led to the change.
“Nothing happened, people just grow apart,” Brown said. “Nothing happened between me and him, or our families, wives, anything. Nothing like that ever happened. Life happens and you just look up sometimes and you just you find yourself drifting away and that’s fine. And I think both parties accepted that.”
Brown said he wants Hurts to do well and “accomplish everything his heart desires,” but he’ll no longer have a hand in helping Hurts or the Eagles reach any of their goals.
After the Eagles shipped receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots on Monday for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, Philadelphia G.M. Howie Roseman met with a group of reporters to discuss the move.
As Roseman see it, a first-round pick is a first-round pick, whether that pick is made in 2026, 2027, or 2028.
“For us to take a 2026 pick, and that’s a late first-round pick, and obviously also have to deal with the cap consequences that come with making a trade prior to June 1, it made some sense for us to look at future picks,” Roseman said, via Zach Berman of The Athletic. “We’ve always been in the mindset a pick is a pick — a first-round pick is a first-round pick. Doesn’t matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028.”
Right, but many teams generally regard a future first-round pick as a current second-round pick. That said, if the Patriots struggle in 2027, the pick in 2028 will be much higher than the 31st overall pick the Eagles would have gotten in 2026.
Then there’s the difference between overall classes. At this point, no one truly knows how “good” the 2028 class will be, relative to 2027.
It’s safe to say the Eagles would have preferred a first-round pick in 2027.
Regardless, it was a win to get any first-round pick for a player who no longer wanted to be with the Eagles, and whom the Eagles no longer wanted to keep. After months of speculation that the shelf life on the relationship had expired, the Eagles finally moved on.
“I think from our perspective, getting a first-round pick for our team, having two first-round picks in ‘28 is a huge, huge part of this move,” Roseman said. “I think that when you look at that and obviously the options of what you’re able to do with having multiple first-round picks, it’s a huge game-changer, and feel very, very confident that those picks are the most valuable things that you can add as you’re building your team. I know there’s a lot of attention on the 2027 draft, but at the same time, looking at the ‘28 draft, I feel confident that that’s going to be a good draft as well, and that we’ll be in position to really improve our football team.”
It’s a glass-half-full assessment of the situation. Ultimately, the Eagles got only four seasons from Brown in exchange for the first-round pick they sacrificed in 2022. And he helped them win a Super Bowl.
Still, if they’d used that selection, they could have gotten a player who could be entering his prime in 2026. Instead, after four years with Brown, they’ll get a first-round pick six years after the first-round pick they gave up to get Brown in the first place.
A.J. Brown deleted his X account, but he still has his Instagram account. That’s what he used to thank the organization, teammates and Eagles fans after the trade from Philadelphia became official on Monday afternoon.
“Eagles Nation,
“Thank you for welcoming my family and me with open arms from day one. This city, this locker room, and this fan base will always hold a special place in my heart.
“To my brothers in that locker room: Thank you for going to battle with me every single day. The memories we made together, on and off the field, are something I’ll carry with me forever.
“To the coaching staff, trainers, equipment staff, cafeteria workers, and the cleaning crew: Thank you for everything you do behind the scenes to keep us going. There are so many people in the building who make it possible for us to go out there and compete, and I’m grateful for all of you.
“Playing for this city has been an honor, and I’m thankful for every moment I had in midnight green.
“Thank you, Philly. Much love always. God bless.”
In four seasons in Philadelphia, Green made 339 receptions for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns.
The Eagles have been expected to trade A.J. Brown to the Patriots for some time and they officially pulled the trigger on the move on Monday afternoon.
The Eagles announced that they have agreed to send Brown to New England in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection. Brown will need to pass a physical in order for the deal to be finalized.
Cap implications for trading Brown became less onerous at 4 p.m. ET on June 1 and the Eagles’ announcement came minutes after that moment passed. The Patriots will now inherit the final four years of Brown’s contract while the Eagles will split their remaining $43.8 million cap hit over the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The Eagles added veteran receivers Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks before drafting Makai Lemon in the first round of April’s draft. They’ll join DeVonta Smith as Jalen Hurts’s top targets for the coming season.
Brown will now be Drake Maye’s No. 1 receiver in New England and he will be reunited with his former head coach with the Titans Mike Vrabel for a push at a Super Bowl ring to go with the one he earned in Philadelphia.
As soon as 4:01 p.m. ET on Monday, the deal can be made. As soon as Tuesday, it can become official.
So what will the Eagles get from the Patriots for the balance of the A.J. Brown contract?
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Eagles will get New England’s first-round pick in 2028.
The Eagles lacked significant leverage. The relationship had already run its course. The cap consequences after 2026 would have become more challenging. And no other team ever materialized as an option.
As McLane notes, the trade also allows the Eagles to avoid $133.1 million in cash obligations under the contract.
It feels like a matter of “when” not “if,” and the “when” is likely coming soon. If/when the Eagles emerge with the Patriots’ first-round pick in 2028, Philly will have a direct hand in pushing that pick higher in the pecking order — the two teams will play each other during the 2027 regular season.
