NFL insider expands on Patriots' potential A.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs plan

A report from earlier in May suggested that it was unlikely that the New England Patriots would complete an expected trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and also bring free-agent receiver Stefon Diggs back for a second season with the club. 

Per just about every report on the subject, Brown will be a Patriots player via a transaction that won't become official before June 1. For his latest mailbag posted on Thursday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained why Brown and Diggs won't be part of the same offense later this year. 

Patriots don't have room for both A.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs?

"This is about overall fit," Breer wrote. "Diggs is 32 with plenty of injury history. A.J. Brown turns 29 next month and has a ton of mileage on his legs. Both are accustomed to being the focal point of an offense. The Patriots are also bringing in Romeo Doubs from the Packers, and have Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas back from last year’s team. So if you become reliant on Diggs and Brown, and one or both go down, that’s not great. And there’s only one ball to go around."

Diggs has been linked with receiver-needy teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, the Washington Commanders, the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams. Some previously suggested that the Chiefs could potentially explore a trade for Brown, but Breer poured cold water over that idea. 

"They had a shot at A.J. Brown in March and passed on it," Breer wrote about the Chiefs. "Yes, their situation has changed, with Rashee Rice now in jail, and the idea of signing him to a new deal murkier. Still, when you have a top-heavy salary cap with a big-time quarterback, you need draft picks to fill the roster out with cost-controlled talent, so I don’t think Kansas City is going to reverse course and try to outbid the Patriots for the Eagles’ star."

Should the Patriots be worried about the latest A.J. Brown report?

Eyebrows were raised when Ian Rapoport of NFL Network shared on Wednesday that the Patriots and Eagles are not "particularly close" to finalizing the terms of an expected Brown trade. According to well-known NFL insider Josina Anderson, people within the Patriots remain confident Brown will end up with New England. 

"It’s very likely that Brown will be a Patriot this time next week," Breer added for Thursday's article. 

Thus, it sounds like Patriots fans shouldn't worry too much about where Brown will be calling home when New England's training-camp practices get underway in late July.