A.J. Brown should give Patriots ideal replacement for Stefon Diggs

A.J. Brown. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A.J. Brown should give Patriots ideal replacement for Stefon Diggs

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 5:49 PM ET

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is lucky. He lost a No. 1 wide receiver earlier this offseason, but now his team has gifted him a new one.

After months of speculation, the Patriots finally acquired WR A.J. Brown in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. New England gave up a 2027 fifth and 2028 first-rounder.

Brown's worth that trade price. The wideout provides New England with a replacement for Stefon Diggs, whom it released in March.

How does A.J. Brown compare to Stefon Diggs?

Now, before we praise Brown, let's give Diggs credit for an impressive 2025 season. After suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee while playing for the Houston Texans in 2024, he rebounded and reestablished himself as one of the top pass-catchers in the NFL.

We've agreed to trade WR A.J. Brown to the Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, pending a physical. pic.twitter.com/AQXFHfWYQq
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) June 1, 2026

Diggs played 17 games for New England in 2025, ranking 12th in the NFL in receptions (85) and 16th in receiving yards (1,013). For his efforts, he was named a Comeback Player of the Year finalist.

Brown, however, should be viewed as an upgrade over Diggs. Over his past four seasons with the Eagles, he made two Pro Bowls and earned three second-team All-Pro nods. StatMuse credited him with the fifth-most receiving yards in the league (5,034) during this stretch. Diggs, meanwhile, ranked 10th (4,121).

Unlike Diggs, Brown — who turns 29 on June 30 — hasn't suffered an injury that's forced him to miss a significant amount of time. He never played in fewer than 13 games in his first seven seasons with the Eagles and Tennessee Titans.

Brown regularly complained about his role in the Eagles offense before his time in Philadelphia ended, sometimes taking to social media to do so. But that comes with the territory with a star WR. Remember how Diggs and QB Josh Allen regularly bickered when he played for the Buffalo Bills from 2020-23?

More importantly, why wouldn't Maye want to throw the ball to Brown? He's a dominant WR who could help the QB continue to ascend after ranking fourth in the league in passing yards (4,394) and third in passing TDs (31) in 2025.

Maye finished second in 2025 league MVP voting behind Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford. He should remain in the award conversation in 2026 now that the Patriots have provided him with an ideal replacement for Diggs.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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