Why Eagles’ A.J. Brown isn’t a realistic trade target for Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Everyone knows the New England Patriots need a true No. 1 wide receiver. It’s one of their biggest roster needs, and they need to address it in some fashion this offseason, whether that happens in the 2025 NFL Draft, free agency or the trade market.
Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown certainly qualifies as a No. 1 wideout. He has tallied 1,000-plus receiving yards in five of his six pro seasons, including 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games this past regular season.
One person who knows Brown well is new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 through 2023, so he was there when the AFC South franchise selected Brown in the second round of the 2019 draft — 19 picks after New England took Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry. Vrabel also was in Tennessee when the Titans traded Brown to the Eagles on the day of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Earlier this week during an interview on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel was asked about Brown’s viral moment last Sunday when FOX Sports cameras caught him reading a book on the bench during Philly’s playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.
“I’m proud of his development, his personal development. And working on himself,” Vrabel said. He added: “(Brown is) a passionate player, and I love him to death. And I have a very, very close relationship with him.”
These comments got some Patriots fans excited about the possibility of a Vrabel/Brown reunion, but unfortunately for people who would love to see Brown playing in New England, there’s no reason for the Eagles to trade him this offseason.
Brown signed a three-year, $96 million contract extension with the Eagles in April of last year, which keeps him under contract in Philly through the 2029 campaign. Furthermore, if the Eagles traded Brown before June 1, it would result in a dead salary cap hit of around $31.6 million for 2025, per Spotrac. If they traded him after June 1, the Eagles would have around $10.8 million in dead cap space from Brown in 2025 and around $20.8 million in dead cap space in 2026, per Spotrac.
Those are high numbers, and would negatively impact the Eagles’ ability to put the best possible roster together. And that’s important because the Eagles are in win-now mode with a star quarterback and a very strong roster that just finished the regular season with a 14-3 record atop the NFC East division.
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The Eagles are a legit Super Bowl contender and the Patriots have one of the league’s worst rosters. So if Brown values winning at all, that move wouldn’t make sense. Brown’s best years have come in Philly with Jalen Hurts throwing him the football.
If there was a time to acquire Brown, it would have been before he signed his extension with the Eagles last year. The Patriots now need to look at other options to acquire an elite wide receiver.
One option is free agency, where Cincinnati Bengals star Tee Higgins could potentially be available. Another option is the first round of the 2025 draft, where Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan should be available with the No. 4 pick.