The New England Patriots have made no secret about their desire to upgrade the supporting cast around quarterback Drake Maye this offseason, and are willing to explore different avenues to do so. Among those is swinging a trade, with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown a popular name tied to the club’s efforts.
But while the Patriots are indeed in the market for Brown, the Eagles’ asking price has prevented anything from happening so far. In fact, according to a report by the Boston Herald’s
Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed, the team is considering Philadelphia’s demands as “unserious.”
The Patriots have explored trade talks involving Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown, but feel the current asking price is unserious, according to one source.
Several league sources believe Brown could nonetheless be dealt, and the return could be a step above what the Seahawks received when they traded D.K. Metcalf and a sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh last year for a second-rounder at 52nd overall and a seventh-round pick.
The Patriots having shown interest in Brown is no surprise.
A former second-round draft pick who started his career under Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Brown has been a productive wideout for both the Titans and Eagles. He has crossed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven seasons in the NFL so far, and would give New England and its young quarterback the true No. 1 wide receiver it has been lacking for multiple years now.
Ultimately, however, the Eagles will have to make the call. And they have incentive to hold onto Brown until at least June 2: trading him before that date would create $43.5 million in dead cap space for the team. The contract becomes more tradable from their perspective after that deadline, but New England might not be willing to play that waiting game.
Their current wide receiver situation, after all, is in flux. While the Patriots currently have eight wide receivers under contract, the most productive of them in 2025, Stefon Diggs, is facing an uncertain future due to his contract and ongoing legal issues.
