According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the New England Patriots are at an impasse with the Philadelphia Eagles regarding an A.J. Brown trade because they are unwilling to give up a first-round pick.
On one hand, this makes sense, given that that is a very steep price to pay for a soon-to-be 29-year-old receiver whose numbers have dropped three years in a row (especially since the Eagles don't have a ton of leverage here, given Brown's evident discontent with the team). But at the same time, New England can't afford to mess around here.
The Mississippi native would immediately become the Patriots' best receiver, and he would become the next go-to weapon for Drake Maye, which is crucial for all young quarterbacks to have. And if they don't make this deal happen, then Brown will likely end up on another roster, while the Patriots will be stuck with another mediocre-at-best receiving corps.
An A.J. Brown trade would greatly elevate the Patriots' offense
It makes sense to not want to trade a first-round pick when you're projected to be a bottom team in the league next season, but that's not the case for New England anymore.
The team is fresh off its first Super Bowl appearance since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. It doesn't matter if they got lucky with the schedule last season -- they were in the Super Bowl. You have to at least have some real talent to get to that point, and it's important for them to build off that momentum and prove they're going to be a mainstay in the title picture.
Trading for Brown absolutely helps them do that. Not only would he give Maye a much-needed, reliable No. 1 receiver, but he would also open up the field for other players to do their thing (Romeo Doubs, Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas, and it should even help open up the running game).
Patriots need a new No. 1 receiver to be true Super Bowl contenders
You look at all the Super Bowl champions since the Patriots won it all in 2019, and they all have something in common: they each had an elite No. 1 receiver/tight end (2026 - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 2025 - Brown/Devonta Smith, 2024 and 2023 - Travis Kelce, 2022 - Cooper Kupp, 2021 - Mike Evans/Chris Godwin, 2020 - Kelce/Tyreek Hill).
Is Doubs that guy? Is Hunter Henry that guy? Not even close. But would Brown be that guy? Absolutely.
Trading a first-round pick is a lot, and if there's a way for the Patriots to acquire Brown and not trade a first-rounder, that would be a win-win. But in all honesty, there is an 80-90% chance that the three-time Pro Bowler is better than whoever New England would take with that pick anyway. So if it comes down to it, maybe the team already knows what it needs to do.
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