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What would it take for the Patriots to land AJ Brown? ESPN analyst cooked up a hypothetical trade.
Eagles receiver AJ Brown, who played for coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, has frequently come up as a possible trade candidate.
As the Patriots decide which positions to upgrade during the offseason, wide receiver seems as if it would be high on the priority list.
Eagles receiver AJ Brown, who played for coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, has frequently come up as a possible trade candidate. He is coming off of his fourth consecutive 1,000 yard season, and at age 28, he will likely have plenty of football ahead of him.
How much would the Patriots need to give up to get him? ESPN asked a team of four insiders to put together hypothetical trades and explain why they might make sense.
ESPN’s Seth Walder had the Patriots giving up a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Brown and a 2026 second-round pick.
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“The Patriots made it to the Super Bowl with a lacking receiver group that had only one player post over 600 yards (Stefon Diggs),” Walder wrote. “But it won’t be as easy in 2026, as their regular-season schedule will be harder and it’s unlikely the sea of AFC teams with elite quarterbacks will part again for New England. Brown, who had a successful history with coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, is a logical fit to provide an instant upgrade.”
The trade would leave the Patriots with a pair of second-round picks. They already have two fourth-round picks. They would keep their fifth-round pick, and would have three sixth-round picks left after sending one to the Eagles. They also have two second-round picks.
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They would get Brown at age 28 and coming off of a slightly underwhelming season by his standards. He had at least 1,450 yards in each of his first two years with the Eagles. He had 1,003 last season. He has stayed consistent with touchdowns, posting seven in each of the last three years.
Brown signed a 3-year, $96 million contract extension that kicks in next year. He is under contract through 2029.
“Even though Brown’s production was down last season, the underlying metrics suggest he was still elite,” Walder wrote. “He finished sixth in ESPN’s overall receiver score and was in the top 10 in open score. Brown is hardly free, but he would add value on his current contract and level of play. The Patriots are surrendering their first-round pick here, but it’s really a large trade down since they get a second-round pick back.
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