Getty A Patriots trade might be the only way to get a No. 1 receiver like AJ Brown.
There are a lot of people in the realm of NFL media who are trying to crack the case of what the Patriots will do in this offseason. While there will be options at quarterback, at running back, at tight end and along the offensive line, at one key offensive spot—wide receiver—the options are much diminished. Supply and demand suggests that if a No. 1 receiver is truly heading to New England next season, he’ll have to come via a Patriots trade.
And such a trade could be costly.
At the Bleacher Report podcast “Off the Edge” with Jake Ellenbogen and former NFL player Cameron Lynch, they put together a doozy of a potential package for star Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, whose displeasure with the organization has been well-documented. Brown is in the midst of a four-year, $100 million extension that he signed in 2022.
If the Eagles decide to reboot after last year’s end-of-season fiasco, the Patriots could swoop in and pluck Brown from them. It just won’t be cheap: the proposed price is New England’s second, third and fourth round pick here in the 2024 NFL draft.
A.J. Brown Among the Top WRs in the NFL
Hefty price, indeed, but that’s because Brown is a true No. 1 receiver. He racked up 106 catches and 1,456 yards last season, earning his third Pro Bowl selection, and was given a 90.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, making him the No. 9 receiver in the league. At just 26 years old, Brown is in the meat of his career, and the receiver market does not have many options remaining.
“A second, a third and a fourth, it’s a lot, but hey, what better way to ring in a new era of Patriots football than to bring in a franchise quarterback at Pick 3?” Ellenbogen wondered. The Patriots could draft Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye with their No. 3 pick, but they’d have to give up their next three choices to get Brown.
“I don’t know why, but I can see this,” Ellenbogen said. “I can see AJ Brown in a Patriots uniform. I don’t know why, I know they’re right now in negotiations trying to lock in Kendrick Bourne, they found Demario Douglas last year, he’s a fun player to watch. But end of the day I like this move for them. Why would you want to play with a rookie and all that, I understand that. But if you want to be ‘the guy’ … if you don’t want to play that game, go to New England.”
Patriots Trade Would Be a Longshot
Now, it is a longshot that the Eagles will seriously look at trading away Brown. He is simply too good a player, no matter the headaches that have come with him. It’s also a longshot that the Patriots would give up three prime picks in the heart of a deep draft, when the team so badly needs depth at every offensive position, as well as some on defense.
But a Patriots trade for Brown would be a full-circle moment for both player and team. Remember, back when Brown was in the draft, in 2019, he was high on the Patriots’ draft board with the 32nd and final pick of the first round.
The Patriots made a crucial, and all too common, drafting error, though, and took future bust N’Keal Harry instead of Brown (not to mention Deebo Samuel).
Brown was so certain that the Patriots were picking him in that spot that when the Harry pick came in, Brown later explained: “It said the pick was in. I know I ain’t got a phone call by now. So I’m like ‘This s*** is over.’ So I told my brother, I told D, I said ‘Bro, let’s go.’ And I left everybody at the house and went home. I went in the closet and cried my eyes out. I swear.”