The Baltimore Ravens added a pair of wide receivers in the 2026 NFL draft with 3rd-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane and 4th-round pick Elijah Sarratt.
History tells us that rookie wide receivers are a dicey thing to rely on if you have Super Bowl hopes, which the Ravens do, which is why Last Word on Sports NFL reporter Anthony Palacios believes they could still get in on the trade sweepstakes for Philadelphia Eagles NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“After drafting Ja’Kobi Lane this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens may no longer need a veteran,” Palacios wrote. “The Ravens have gone through Diontae Johnson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor for the past few years. However, it’d be beneficial to get a lengthy receiver like AJ Brown to help Zay Flowers. This would allow Rashod Bateman and Lane to focus on the slot routes to help Lamar Jackson in the pocket. It’d help a lot if Brown and Flowers could become the new duo for this offense, especially if Jackson wants to throw it deep as well.”
The Ravens did very little this offseason that seems to guarantee a better 2026 for their offense than what happened in 2025, when they bottomed out with an 8-9 record, missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2021, and fired Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons.
What A.J. Brown Might Cost Ravens in Trade
Trading for Brown might actually solve several problems for the Ravens.
The Eagles will want a draft pick back, to start with, and a 2027 2nd-round pick would probably do the trick. On top of that, the Ravens might see if the Eagles are willing to take wide receiver Rashod Bateman as well.
Bateman has been a staggering disappointment for the Ravens after he signed a 3-year, $36.75 million contract before the 2025 season and responded with 19 receptions for 224 yards and 2 touchdowns in 13 games.
The Ravens don’t have a voidable year in Bateman’s contract until 2028, and while he only counted $4.548 million against the salary cap in 2025, that number goes up to $6.298 million in 2026 and $10.9 million in 2027.
So, any deal for Bateman to the Eagles likely comes with him taking a massive pay cut, which is probably deserved at this point.
A.J. Brown Trade Could Undercut Hated Rivals
One ancillary benefit of the Ravens trading for Brown that might seem petty but would be incredibly rewarding would be undercutting the New England Patriots, who have been the leaders to land Brown for months.
While hurting the Patriots shouldn’t be goal No. 1 — helping the Ravens should be — what gets lost in the bitter feud is that the Patriots are now firmly in the round of AFC contenders alongside the Ravens after making a surprise run to the Super Bowl following the 2025 season.
Brown to the Patriots has seemed like chalk for some time because it would reunite Brown with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who coached Brown on the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021.
For the Patriots, there seems to be very little that is certain anymore after an offseason scandal involving Vrabel and former NFL reporter Diana Russini that continues to unfold and has led to speculation that the franchise might ultimately have to cut ties with its head coach.
Ravens Urged to Enter ‘Trade Sweepstakes’ for NFL All-Pro WR