Albert Breer predicts result of A.J. Brown saga

One of the worst-kept secrets of the ongoing NFL offseason is that numerous reporters believe that the New England Patriots will acquire Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown via a trade that won't become official before June 1 due to the Eagles' salary-cap situation.  

That said, recent stories mentioned that the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers, the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Los Angeles Rams could essentially steal Brown from the Patriots. On Tuesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared an updated prediction regarding how the saga involving the Eagles and Brown will end. 

Are Patriots still the favorites to land A.J. Brown?

"As for where he’s going," Breer wrote about Brown, "it always made sense for the Eagles to wait to 'agree to terms' until the last minute because things can change elsewhere...But the Chiefs, Chargers, Bills and Rams all had their shot at this already, and I think the final result will be what everyone’s treating as a fait accompli, and that’s Brown reuniting with Mike Vrabel in New England."

The perception exists that Brown wants to once again play for Vrabel after the New England coach was Brown's head coach when the two were with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season. Thus, one could assume a different club may hesitate to give up multiple draft assets to acquire Brown if the often-outspoken 28-year-old makes it clear he isn't interested in joining a team other than New England this spring. 

Why the Eagles are waiting to trade A.J. Brown

A previous story noted that the Eagles technically could have afforded to trade Brown before the 2026 NFL Draft. Breer broke down why no Brown-related transaction has yet occurred. 

"If Brown were traded [on May 26]," Breer explained, "his cap number would jump to $43.515M for 2026. If he’s dealt next week, then the Eagles can take $16.353M of it now (which is the past bonus proration set to hit the cap this year), and $27.162M next year. With his Philly cap number sitting at $23.393M, that means it’s either add $20M to this year’s cap or save $7M and push the rest off."

While nothing is official until a trade is announced, it seems like in-the-know individuals still expect that Brown will be on the New England roster when training-camp practices begin later this summer.