While waiting on A.J. Brown to be delivered to the Patriots and Wednesday’s on-field practice, here are some assorted Patriots thoughts in late May …
• Since there’s nothing else of substance going on in the league right now and the NFL industrial complex must be fed year-round, you get all sorts of regurgitations of the Brown trade story to keep it alive in order to get those engagement clicks (can’t wait to see how this gets aggregated!).
Look, nothing has changed. The Eagles stockpiled receivers in the offseason, including trading up in the draft to select Makai Lemon. The Patriots passed on any receivers in the draft. Brown has stayed quiet. The Patriots and Eagles have been restrained in their comments.
All of this suggests Brown is very likely a Patriot sometime after 4 p.m. on June 1st. Will it be immediate? Could be. But I’ve also had it suggested by league sources that the Eagles could wait a week to make it appear like they’ve done their due diligence on the trade market, and to make it look a little more kosher (not worked out ahead of time) to the NFL. I’d guess it gets done sooner rather than later, and undoubtedly by June 9, when the Eagles host their two-day mandatory minicamp. That’s all the Eagles need: Brown in the building with media around when he’s clearly on his way out.
• As for the trade compensation, I don’t see much changing on that front. As I reported after the league meetings, the Patriots are comfortable sending a
