The New England Patriots took a big risk by trading a 2028 first- and 2027 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver A.J. Brown, who will turn 29 years old at the end of the month and has a worsening knee condition (which is reportedly so bad that it caused the Los Angeles Rams to back out of a trade for him).
However, this was a trade where the reward can severely outweigh the risk. And, according to Eliot Wolf, the risk might not even be as big as many assume.
The Patriots' medical and training staffs signed off on A.J. Brown trade
According to Wolf, while he and the team were aware of Brown's knee condition, their medical staff and training staff each signed off on the trade, indicating that it's not as big of a problem as many (including the Rams, apparently) seem to think (h/t Jori Epstein of Yahoo! Sports).
“It’s a factor, but we examined him,” Wolf said. “He's got a knee that has some wear and tear that we were aware of. Our training staff and medical staff signed off on it.”
Wolf's comments also line up with what Brown himself said about his knees during his introductory press conference (spoiler alert: he doesn't seem to be too worried about it either).
“No injury. Nothing to worry about,” Brown said. “I think this whole little – you have to understand where I came from, so any conversation about anything is going to come up. Maybe in four years, I’ve missed one game from a shot to the knee, so I’m good, I’m ready to go.”
Obviously, the Mississippi native isn't going to stand up at the podium and say, "Yeah, my knees are completely toast. I have maybe one or two years of football left. The Patriots never should've made this trade," but it's still reassuring that he's clearly not worried about it. And Wolf's comments only add to that.
A.J. Brown will be a game-changer for the Patriots
For the first time in a long time, the Patriots have a true No. 1 receiver (and if you count Stefon Diggs, Jakobi Meyers, Julian Edelman, or Wes Welker as true No. 1 receivers, then the Patriots finally have a true No. 1 receiver that's a deep threat for the first time since Randy Moss), and that should get the fans extremely excited.
Drake Maye is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL, and now that he'll have someone like Brown on his side, there's no telling what the future has in store for him (or the rest of the offense. Brown's gravity should open up a ton of opportunities for Romeo Doubs, the tight ends, and the running game to do some damage).
New England finally has a legitimate offensive unit again. And if Brown can live up to the hype, the rest of the league should be terrified.
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