NFL insider addresses wild idea for Patriots possibly acquiring A.J. Brown from Eagles

It certainly appears that NFL reporters around the country believe it is a matter of when and not if Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will trade A.J. Brown. Many of those same insiders have named the New England Patriots as the "most likely" landing spot for the mercurial wide receiver. 

Such a trade may not occur before June 1 because of reasons related to the salary cap. For a mailbag posted on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated was asked if the Patriots could pick a player the Eagles want with the 31st selection of this year's draft and then send that individual to Philadelphia in June as part of a trade package for Brown.

Breer explained why such a deal will likely involve choices for the 2027 player-selection process. 

Why trade for A.J. Brown will likely involve picks over a 2026 rookie

"You’re losing rookie onboarding that happens after the draft, your rookie minicamp, then two to three weeks of (organized team activities)," Breer wrote about the proposed scenario. "That would then affect your shot to perform over the two weeks left in the offseason program in June, which is where you set yourself up to compete for playing time in the summer, and ultimately to play in the fall. Why would that rookie be okay with that? It’d be a headache all the way around, and not fair to that player." 

Numerous reports have noted that Roseman wants a first-round draft pick and a second-round choice in return for Brown. Meanwhile, interested teams could use this year's draft to fill a need at the position. For example, ESPN's Field Yates predicted that the Patriots will select Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston with the 31st overall pick. 

Why Mike Vrabel likely isn't losing sleep over A.J. Brown saga

A big reason Brown continues to be linked with the Patriots is that he had New England head coach Mike Vrabel as a head coach when the two were with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season. Breer mentioned that Vrabel has found himself in a similar situation regarding the potential pursuit of a big-name wide receiver ahead of a draft. 

"In 2021," Breer added, "the Falcons waited until after June 1 to trade Julio Jones, and it was [Vrabel's] Titans that wound up getting him, dealing a 2022 second-round pick and a ’23 fourth-rounder to Atlanta for Jones and a ’23 sixth-rounder." 

In short, it sounds like the Patriots and other teams around the league still have roughly two months to decide whether or not they will ultimately match Roseman's asking price for Brown.