After months of speculation, a pivotal deadline for the New England Patriots and their efforts to acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown has arrived. As soon as the clock hits 4 p.m. ET on June 1, the cap ramifications of a trade would be more palatable to the Philadelphia Eagles.
This means that the Patriots trading for Brown could happen as early as Monday afternoon.
The Patriots and Eagles have been involved in on-again, off-again talks about the wide receiver going back to last season. And while there
has been speculation about how close the two sides have actually come so far, the common belief in NFL circles is that New England will ultimately invest a first-round draft pick — likely in 2028 — to facilitate the move.
The asking price has not been the primary holdup thus far, however. As mentioned above, Brown has not been moved yet for salary cap reasons.
Due to the option-heavy structure of his contract, the Eagles would have had to take on a $43.5 million dead money charge this season had they traded Brown before June 1. Waiting for that deadline to pass, that cap number will be spread over this and next season; $16.4 million would hit the cap in 2026, with the remaining $27.1 million hitting Philadelphia’s books in 2027.
From a Patriots perspective, taking on Brown would result in a salary cap hit of $6.79 million. They would acquire his $1.3 million base salary and $5.49 million option bonus for 2026.
Trading for Brown would be the latest major wide receiver move for New England this offseason. The Super Bowl runner-ups previously signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract in free agency, while also cuttingn their top receiver last year, Stefon Diggs.
