Multiple NFL insiders now believe a Patriots trade for A.J. Brown is the most likely outcome as June 1 approaches. The Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro wide receiver will not be an Eagle sometime soon after that date, and the New England Patriots remain his “most likely” destination, according to a new report by a top NFL insider on Thursday. And Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was not the only insider to predict a Brown trade to New England.
Trade speculation around Brown and the Patriots has been going on for most of the NFL offseason, sparked in part by the fact that New England quarterback Drake Maye, who led the Patriots to a surprise Super Bowl appearance in just his second season, was one of the top deep-threat passers in the NFL.
Brown A Perfect Partner For Maye
Maye threw the second-most completed passes of 20 yards or more with 67 and led the NFL with 8.9 yards per reception. But he accomplished those feats without a genuine deep-threat wide receiver. The team’s top pass catcher, Stefon Diggs, with 1,013 yards, was primarily an over-the-middle receiver, and Diggs has now departed New England anyway.
Brown would, at least in theory, provide Maye with exactly the type of downfield receiver who could get the most out of the young quarterback’s ability to throw the football long distances with uncanny accuracy.
But the Eagles refuse to give even a hint that they will trade Brown, and they would be unlikely to trade him before June 1 anyway. That’s when a provision kicks in that allows the Eagles to cut Brown’s dead cap hit in half if they trade the 28-year-old.
New England head coach Mike Vrabel was also head coach in Tennessee when the Titans drafted Brown in the second round in 2019. Brown played the first three seasons of his career with Vrabel as his head coach.
So what is the latest insider report on the potential Brown trade?
NFL Insiders Just Waiting For Brown Trade to Patriots to Happen
Rapoport appeared on the Fox Sports 1 program The Herd on Thursday to discuss the Brown trade possibilities and labeled the Brown-to-Patriots proposed deal as “the most likely” outcome.
“June 2, obviously, post-June 1 is a very big date in the A.J. Brown sweepstakes, if that’s what you want to call it,” Rapoport said on the broadcast. “I think most people believe that there’s an eventual trade to the Patriots. It has not been done yet. Um, I don’t believe it’s been done yet, and I don’t know for sure, for sure that’s going to happen because life is weird, and that’s two months from now or however many months it is. But that’s probably the most likely scenario. I think if that’s the case, that probably makes sense for all sides if they can, you know, agree on a price.”
CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, independently, also forecast a trade of Brown to New England after June 1.
“For months we have been reporting it is likely A.J. Brown will not be with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2026 season. The New England Patriots remain the frontrunner to acquire the All-Pro receiver, and what has been true all offseason continues to be true today as it relates to his contract,” Jones wrote on Thursday.
“What sources have pointed out to me is that Brown has done nothing publicly to try to punch his way out of Philly, and those sources have theorized that Brown may have an understanding that a deal will take place at some point in the summer,” Jones continued. “Making a public stink does not help his position.”
The Patriots, if the insider updates are accurate, are now simply in a waiting game to end up with Brown before they open their training camp in July.
Patriots A.J. Brown Trade ‘Most Likely’ Outcome Emerges: Insider