With the first round of the NFL Draft coming up in just seven days, the rumor mill is working overtime. Not all rumors are directly tied to the event, though, as New England Patriots fans probably know by now.
Their team, after all, has been linked to one specific player for quite some time now: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. And according to one insider, it seems to be only a matter of when rather than if the 28-year-old will be sent to the Patriots.
“Obviously, Post-June 1 is a very
big date in the A.J. Brown sweepstakes, if that’s what you want to call it,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Thursday during an appearance on FS1. “Most people believe that there’s an eventual trade to the Patriots. It has not been done yet; I don’t believe it’s been done yet. And I don’t know for sure for sure that’s going to happen, because life is weird and that’s two months from now.
“But that’s probably the most likely scenario, and I think if that’s the case that probably makes sense for both sides — if they can agree on a price.”
The Patriots have been rumored as a potential landing spot for Brown since before he entered the league as a second-round draft pick in 2019. Back then, the team decided to select N’Keal Harry over him. Brown ended up in Tennessee, where he was coached by Mike Vrabel. Seven years later, the pair now has a chance to reunite at Brown’s favorite team growing up.
The timeline of the potential trade is determined by Brown’s contract, which will become more easily moveable from an Eagles perspective after June 1. At the moment, however, both teams keep playing coy.
“As far as players on other teams, going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster, whether that’s with the player you mentioned or other players,” Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf told reporters earlier this week when directly asked about Brown.
