A.J. Brown Trade to New England Tracking Toward June, Patriots Remain Clear Frontrunner
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots is still very much on course, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reported Monday that the two teams are expected to resume negotiations on or before June 1 with a deal considered likely.
Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler, remains under contract with Philadelphia. The Eagles have repeatedly stated he is on the roster. But the June 1 date has become a financial focal point for both sides. Under NFL rules, a post-June 1 trade would allow Philadelphia to split Brown’s $40 million cap charge across two seasons rather than absorbing it entirely in 2026, a difference of more than $27 million in immediate cap relief.
“The Eagles remain open to trading AJ Brown, the Patriots remain highly interested in acquiring the star receiver, and conversations are expected to resume shortly on or before June 1, likely culminating in a deal, per league sources,” Schefter wrote Monday.
No formal agreement has been reached. Schefter noted another team could emerge as a competing suitor, but added that “multiple sources say they believe Brown and the Patriots are likely to become a tandem.”
New England head coach Mike Vrabel coached Brown with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021. That familiarity has been widely cited as a driving factor in the Patriots’ pursuit. Brown reportedly did not attend the Eagles’ voluntary offseason program on Monday, which opened the same day Schefter published his report.
The timing coincides with the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled this week in Pittsburgh from April 23 through 25. How Philadelphia and New England approach the receiver position in the draft could offer a window into how advanced trade talks actually are. The Eagles, widely expected to add wide receiver help in the draft regardless, have already acquired Dontayvion Wicks from Green Bay and signed Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore this offseason in apparent preparation for a post-Brown receiving corps.
For New England, the motivation is straightforward. The Patriots are operating within the window created by quarterback Drake Maye’s contract, the 2025 MVP runner-up who finished just five points behind Matthew Stafford in the closest AP MVP race in more than two decades. Brown, who turns 29 in June, would give Maye a true outside No. 1 target the offense has not had since Stefon Diggs was released in March.
Brown’s 2025 season, 78 receptions, 1,003 yards, seven touchdowns in 15 games, was his lowest-yardage full season since joining Philadelphia, though he remained productive and was a key contributor on the team that won Super Bowl LIX.
The Patriots signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year deal this offseason and already carry Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams on the depth chart. Adding Brown would give New England one of the more formidable receiving rooms in the AFC.
Unless a new team enters the picture before June, the league expects this deal to happen.
Dynasty Football Impact
If/when the Brown trade is completed, DeVonta Smith immediately becomes the most important dynasty buy. Smith has topped 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four NFL seasons, all while operating as the clear second option behind Brown.
He has never had a true WR1 workload, and some within the Eagles organization believe a role elevation could unlock a Jaxon Smith-Njigba-level statistical jump. Smith is under contract through the 2028 season on a three-year, $75 million extension, providing the stability dynasty managers prize. He is 27 years old, entering his prime, and would immediately become the focal point of Jalen Hurts’ passing offense the moment Brown clears the building. At his current dynasty market value, still priced as a WR2, Smith represents one of the most actionable must-buy windows of the offseason.