New England Patriots
“What we don’t know is what’s going to happen with New England from now until June 1st.”
The waiting game continues when it comes to the Patriots and their long-rumored trade target, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
While traction seems to have stalled when it comes to New England bridging some of the gap in Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman’s steep asking price for the All-Pro wideout, there might be a reason for the recent radio silence.
As noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots and Eagles may not realistically be able to complete a blockbuster trade until after June 1 — given the dead-cap ramifications set to hit a contending Philly team if they trade Brown in the next few months.
“If the Eagles traded the receiver before June 1, they would absorb $43.5 million in dead money on their salary cap ($20.1 million more than his current cap charge),” Reiss wrote. “If they traded Brown after June 1, the dead money on their salary cap would be $16.353 million.”
“That simple math highlights why any deal for Brown, with the Patriots a top suitor, wouldn’t be finalized until June 1.”
If that’s the case, could the Patriots already have the framework of a deal worked out with the Eagles — one that can’t be executed until after June 1?
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, longtime ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter pushed back against that sentiment — even if he noted that the Patriots remain a “logical landing spot” for Brown if he’s dealt.
“What we don’t know is what’s going to happen with New England from now until June 1st,” Schefter said. “New England could, for all we know, bring back [Stefon] Diggs, they could go sign some of the other wide receivers that are out there, they could draft a wide receiver. And if any of those things happen, then that will probably take them out of the A.J. Brown market.
“There’s no under-the-table, to my knowledge, handshake agreement between the two sides to get A.J. Brown to New England despite the rumors,” he added.
Bringing in an established star like Brown — who has plenty of familiarity playing for Mike Vrabel during their time together with the Titans — would give New England’s offense another significant boost, especially after already signing Romeo Doubs.
Even during a down season for Brown and the Eagles’ offense in 2025, he still reeled in 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. In total, Brown has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in six different seasons.
Speaking at Gillette Stadium earlier this month, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf was asked if the team still had an interest in acquiring established talent via trades.
“We’ll explore anything that we think can help the team,” Wolf said.
As far as any deadlines on New England’s end when it comes to waiting out potential deals?
“I think the only real deadlines you have are sort of salary cap-related,” Wolf said. “For instance, did we spend money in free agency that would take us out of something else? I wouldn’t say there’s a deadline in trying to improve the team.”
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