New England Patriots
“If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, we still gotta keep going.”
A.J. Brown continues to be linked to the Patriots. AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Star wide receiver A.J. Brown is still on the Philadelphia Eagles roster at this stage of the NFL offseason.
But for most of the last month, the writing has seemingly been on the wall that the former All-Pro wideout is heading to New England via trade at some point after June 1.
Some of those reports — including from longtime NFL ESPN insider Adam Schefter — have made such a trade feel like more of a given at this point than an ongoing negotiation or process.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at the team’s Community Day in Foxborough, Patriots second-year receiver Kyle Williams noted that New England’s entire wideout room is well aware of the ongoing rumors linking Brown to the Patriots.
However, Williams didn’t want to give his take on Brown’s potential arrival in New England.
“I’m focused on where my feet are,” Williams said. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, we still gotta keep going.”
While Williams remains focused on improving his own game this summer, he did acknowledge Brown’s established resume and dynamic skillset. The 28-year-old Brown has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven seasons so far in the NFL.
“He’s somebody that I studied a little bit. I’m not as big as him, but I try to play big if I can,” Williams said of Brown, who measures out at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds. “He’s just a great player. Great habits, a consistent guy. He’s a player you would want to look up to and watch.”
Some of the reported waiting game between the Patriots and Eagles is tied to Brown’s contract.
Even if a potential handshake agreement has been made between New England and Philadelphia, the Eagles don’t have much of a reason to deal him until after June 1, when his salary cap charge is spread out between 2026 and 2027.
If Philly dealt Brown before June 1, they’d be on the hook for a significant $43.3 million dead cap hit. If they trade him after June, that dead cap hit drops down to $16.3 million — along with whatever draft capital they’d net from New England.
Williams is far from the only Patriots player to address the elephant in the room when it comes to Brown’s potential arrival in Foxborough.
Veteran safety Kevin Byard — who played alongside Brown in Tennessee before the wideout was dealt to Philly — offered up plenty of praise toward the star receiver last week.
“He was unstoppable,” Byard said of Brown’s tenure with the Titans. “Obviously A.J. is very talented still, but this was young A.J. with a lot to prove. He couldn’t be covered in one-on-ones. … I remember the first game he really popped out was against the Falcons in Atlanta, and he scored two touchdowns.”
“I can recall he caught a slant and took it to the house. At that point, I was like, Yeah, he’s going to be a dog. He’s going to be a really good player, and he just took off from there.”
Beyond Brown’s standing as a productive, No. 1 target for any talented quarterback, Byard noted that Brown’s presence alone can make life miserable for an opposing defense and coaching staff when it comes to game planning and adjusting on the fly during a game.
“A No. 1 receiver dictates coverage … You may see that a guy’s stats may not be as great as they were earlier in his career,” Byard said. “But, dictating that coverage is a big thing with receiver [number] ones because if you have a really good receiver one or receiver three, you can win a lot of one-on-ones.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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