New England Patriots
The Patriots have been linked to Brown for quite some time, but the rumors seemed to hit their peak this week.
The Patriots are reportedly interested in A.J. Brown. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
February 28, 2026 | 10:55 AM
2 minutes to read
If the Patriots are going to get A.J. Brown, it appears that there’s going to have to be a good bit of negotiation between them and the Eagles.
While the Patriots are interested in the All-Pro wide receiver, they believe the Eagles’ current asking price is “unserious,” the Boston Herald‘s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed reported. Of course, Philadelphia hasn’t publicly stated what it’s looking for in a potential trade for Brown, but one executive heard that the Eagles were looking for a first-round pick and a second-round pick, the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Jeff McLane reported.
Even though the Eagles appear to be open to the idea of trading Brown this offseason, the team is in an interesting predicament if they move him. If Brown is traded before June 1, Philadelphia would eat nearly $44 million in dead money and lose roughly $20 milllion in cap space, per Over The Cap. If Brown is traded after June 1, the Eagles would eat a little more than $16 million in dead money and create roughly $7 million in salary room, according to Over The Cap.
Still, a Brown trade seems to be a possibility. There’s a belief around the league that Brown could eventually get traded for a package similar to or greater than the one the Steelers gave up to acquire D.K. Metcalf from the Seahawks last offseason, both the Herald and Inquirer reported. Pittsburgh surrendered its second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (No. 52 overall) and a seventh-round pick.
New England has been linked to Brown for quite some time, but the trade rumors involving the star wide receiver seem to hit their peak at the combine this week. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown for three seasons with the Titans, was willing to discuss his relationship with the player he once coached, which is a bit rare for coaches to talk about players on other teams.
Vrabel also answered a question about the Patriots possibly trading for Brown when he met with reporters on Wednesday.
“I think that we’ll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster,” Vrabel replied. “There’s a lot of back-and-forth. Taking on compensation. And so, I’m sure there’ll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we prepare and get closer to the draft.”
As the Patriots ponder a potential move for Brown, they are exploring a scenario in which they keep Stefon Diggs and trade for the Eagles’ wide receiver, MassLive’s Mark Daniels and Karen Guregian reported Friday. However, in order to fit both wide receivers on the roster, the Patriots might need Diggs to restructure his contract. Diggs, 32, has a $26.5 million cap hit for the 2026 season and New England could save $16.8 million if it released him.
Brown, meanwhile, is under contract through the end of the decade thanks to a three-year, $96 million extension he signed in 2024. If he gets traded this offseason, he would only carry a $7.04 million cap hit in 2026.
Brown, who’ll turn 29 in June, has been one of the game’s top wide receivers since he was drafted in 2019. The three-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler has logged at least 1,000 receiving yards in all but one season in his career, although he had one of his least productive seasons in 2025. Brown logged 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns last season, with his 66.9 receiving yards per game being the fewest he’s had since 2021.
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