The saga is over. On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in exchange for the Patriots’ 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Brown reunites with Mike Vrabel. In New England, Brown joins a contender in the opposing conference that is coming off a Super Bowl appearance.
It was rumored that Brown would be traded to the Patriots this offseason, which made sense. Mike Vrabel, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, was with the Tennessee Titans when the franchise drafted Brown in the second round back in 2019. Brown registered two 1,000-yard campaigns in his first two NFL seasons, caught 19 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. The Patriots also had a need at wide receiver, as they released their top target in Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason.
Brown was traded to the Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft amid a contract dispute and had the opportunity to team up with one of his good friends in quarterback Jalen Hurts. In Philly, Brown blossomed into one of the best receivers in the NFL, registering two straight 1,400-yard seasons. Brown caught 33 passes that went for at least 25 yards in his first two seasons as an Eagle, which ranked second in the NFL behind Tyreek Hill. The Eagles made the playoffs in all four seasons with Brown out wide, including three division titles, and made two Super Bowls. That includes the Super Bowl LIX victory, where Philly dominated the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.
When the Eagles hoisted the Lombardi Trophy 15 months ago, no one could imagine that Brown would want out of Philadelphia the following year. But that’s what happened. Brown registered a career-low 12.9 yards per reception this past season, and failed to record a single reception in a half SEVEN times in 2025. That only happened once in 2024. His 1,003 yards receiving marked the lowest of his Eagles tenure, and 2025 marked the first season in which Brown was not Philly’s leading receiver.
This wasn’t just an A.J. Brown problem either, as the offense was statistically the worst of the Nick Sirianni era. The Eagles averaged 22.3 points per game, 311.2 total yards per game and 116.9 rushing yards per game. There has been offensive coordinator turnover, leading to yearly adjustments in the scheme, and there are questions about the quarterback as well.
Brown criticized the Eagles offense multiple times in 2025, and to his credit, never backed down from his comments. The three-time Pro Bowler stood up for himself in the Eagles locker room back in November after an appearance on Twitch went viral.
“I think if we’re really focused on winning and doing our job, we can’t just keep slapping a band-aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense? We’re so great, and that’s what I’m getting at. It’s not about I don’t care about winning or all I care about is stats. No. It’s been week after week sometimes, we’re not doing our job on offense. So you can’t just keep slapping a band-aid over that and you expect to win late in the year … it’s not going to happen.
“Last year, what it was, thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season. They adapted, we have to adapt and we have to continue to get better and try to find new ways. That’s where the frustration comes in. It’s not about winning, you guys. I want to win, yes. I want to help contribute as well, do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.”
The Eagles went 50-18 during Brown’s four seasons, with a Super Bowl win. That’s a stretch any NFL franchise would kill for. But the Eagles, without a doubt, had one of, if not the most, talented rosters in the league and were not living up to expectations. That led to frustrations, which led to divorce.
Let’s dive into different aspects of this trade.
How A.J. Brown fits in New England
As we mentioned, the Patriots were in the market for a new wide receiver. New England released Diggs and brought in Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers in free agency, but the rest of the group is the same from last year: Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams.
With the help of the easiest schedule since the turn of the millennium, the Patriots passing offense ranked No. 4 in the NFL (250.5 yards per game). Diggs crossed 1,000 yards receiving, but New England’s No. 2 wide receiver, which was Boutte, caught just 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns. The 551 yards receiving were tied for No. 72 in the NFL last season.
It’s pretty impressive that Drake Maye almost won NFL MVP, throwing to Diggs and Hunter Henry, and he deserves credit for the absurd Year 2 jump he took. Maye was the first quarterback since Tom Brady in 2007 to have the best record in the NFL, while leading the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt. Maye was actually the youngest quarterback in league history to lead the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt in the same season.
Those are fun stats, but here’s the one you really want to pay attention to: Maye had the best completion percentage in the NFL on throws of 15+ air yards (58%) after ranking dead last in 2024 (29%), per CBS Sports Research. He is the only quarterback in the past 20 seasons to lead the league in completion percentage despite having the longest average target depth in the NFL with 9.1 air yards! Maye was elite when it came to letting it fly downfield, and that’s where Brown comes in.
Brown ranks fifth in the NFL in receiving yards since joining the Eagles with 5,034. He sits behind Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, Brown’s 14.8 yards per reception ranks first among all of those players. Given the combination of size and speed, Brown is a tough cover downfield if you make the mistake of leaving him in one-on-one coverage. Not only do the Patriots have a new legitimate WR1, but Maye is going to have fun chucking it deep to one of the best big-play wideouts we’ve seen over the last few years.
Financial implications of the A.J. Brown trade
If you’re surprised that Brown was traded this late in the offseason, don’t be. The Eagles would have taken on a $49 million dead cap hit plus a loss of $25.6 million in savings had they traded him prior to June 1, per Spotrac. After June 1, the Eagles are permitted to split that $49 million dead cap hit over 2026 and 2027. Plus, the Eagles actually save $1.5 million immediately, rather than losing $25.6 million. Overall, you can’t claim that trading Brown makes financial sense for Philadelphia. However, Howie Roseman decided it was time.
As for the Patriots’ side, Brown is signed through 2029, and scheduled to make a fully guaranteed $29 million in 2026 with a $28.75 million base salary and a $250,000 workout bonus. CBS Sports cap guru Joel Corry actually dove into Brown’s contract last month and explained that Philly used what he described as “one of the NFL’s most complex contract structures” with Brown when he signed the three-year, $96 million extension in 2024. The work is not over for the Patriots just because they have acquired Brown. Corry believes the front office could rework Brown’s contract into a more conventional structure.
Where the Eagles go from here
No team gets better by trading away A.J. Brown, but the Eagles have been working to set up Hurts’ new cast of characters. DeVonta Smith will become the new No. 1 option, and he’s coming off the third 1,000-yard receiving season of his career. But he and Dallas Goedert won’t be able to shoulder the load alone.
Let’s take a look at the new weapons that have been charged with replacing Brown’s production.
The Eagles sent the Packers a fifth-round pick and a future sixth-round pick for Dontayvion Wicks a couple of months ago. He’s 6-foot-1 and a bit north of 200 pounds, and caught 39 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns in his very first NFL season back in 2023. However, Wicks hasn’t matched that production since. In 46 NFL games played, he’s averaging just 28.9 yards per game and has caught 11 touchdowns. There’s still some upside here.
“Hollywood Brown” registered a 1,000-yard season with the Baltimore Ravens back in 2023, but is more of a deep-ball threat at this point in his career. Last season with the Chiefs, Marquise Brown caught 49 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 12.0 yards per catch.
Eli Stowers is a fascinating fit in Philly. The second-round pick out of Vanderbilt is a former track star who won a Texas state championship in the high jump before taking his talents to the gridiron. No one was surprised when he registered the highest vertical jump at the NFL combine with a 45.5″. If anyone can replicate the Saquon Barkley reverse hurdle, it’s probably Stowers. In his final collegiate season, Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards and four touchdowns. No FBS tight end recorded more receiving yards than him.
It’s true that Stowers isn’t the most well-rounded tight end, but what he offers as a weapon in the passing game is worth getting excited about.
We saved the best for last. Makai Lemon is the best chance Eagles fans have to forget Brown’s name quickly. Roseman may have found a steal at No. 20 overall in the draft, because Lemon was a Unanimous All-American who won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football last season. He caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 96.3 yards per contest, and had four games where he exploded for 150 yards receiving and a touchdown, which tied the Big Ten single-season record.
What’s interesting about Lemon is that he’s a very different player than Brown. Lemon is your typical slot weapon at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, while Brown is a big perimeter target. I wonder if Lemon could actually make life easier for someone like Hurts. The Eagles quarterback isn’t exactly lauded for his ability to execute full-field progressions against zone coverages. Lemon should be easier to scheme up touches for.
