What Eagles may want from Patriots for A.J. Brown after drafting Makai Lemon

Whispers about the Philadelphia Eagles eventually trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots grew only louder when the Eagles traded up to grab USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published on Monday, ESPN's Mike Reiss wrote about what such a transaction involving the Eagles and Patriots could look like for the two teams. 

What history says about the Eagles probably trading A.J. Brown to the Patriots

"No two trades are the same," Reiss explained, "but one of the most recent high-profile receiver deals was for Jaylen Waddle, who was acquired by the Broncos in exchange for a package that included a late first-round pick. So it makes sense that the Eagles might hold out for a first-round pick, even if it means waiting for 2028 or the pick is conditional on Brown reaching certain performance-based markers. The Patriots, however, could point to the 2024 deal that sent Stefon Diggs from Buffalo to Houston in a package that included a second-rounder as the top chip."

A report from before the draft said that Brown "likely" will be traded to the Patriots via a deal that won't become official until after June 1 because of Philadelphia's salary-cap situation. New England still has a need at the position as of the final Monday of April, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the AFC East club will meet Philadelphia's exact asking price for the 28-year-old. 

Is no team other than the Patriots willing to trade for A.J. Brown? 

"In the case of Brown, who turns 29 in June and has totaled 1,000 receiving yards in four straight seasons, one comparable could be the Las Vegas Raiders trading for Davante Adams in 2022," Reiss shared for a piece posted on Sunday. "Adams was 29 at the time, and the Raiders dealt first- and second-round picks for him. But it's hard to imagine the Patriots paying such a heavy price for Brown, even considering his history playing for coach Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, in part because they don't seem to be competing against another suitor, and the 2027 draft projects to be much stronger than 2026."

Vrabel was Brown's head coach when the two were with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 season. Reiss added that the Patriots and Eagles will "both have to come away with a belief they are making themselves better" via a trade that continues to seem inevitable. The two sides now have slightly over one month to determine the compensation related to that trade if they haven't already done so.