The New England Patriots received a significant A.J. Brown trade update Monday, with an NFL insider reporting that the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have established a framework that could finally push the blockbuster deal across the finish line.
After weeks of negotiations, finally reaching the June 1 date appears to have unlocked the path forward. With Philadelphia now able to spread Brown’s dead-cap hit across two seasons, both sides have reportedly moved closer to a compromise that would send the star receiver to New England.
The Eagles entered negotiations targeting compensation comparable to what the New York Jets received for Quinnen Williams — a first-round pick. The Cowboys centered their Williams package on a 2027 first-rounder in fall 2025, and Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman used that deal as his baseline, according to SI.com‘s Mike Kadlick.
The Patriots balked at a pick that close. NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport reported that New England was “not willing to give up a first-round pick as of right now,” injecting fresh tension into a negotiation that had otherwise looked like a formality.
The emerging resolution, according to longtime NFL insider and Sports Illustrated MMQB columnist Albert Breer, pushes the first-rounder to 2028.
“I still believe the throughway to satisfying the Eagles’ desire for a first-round pick is pushing that return into 2028,” Breer wrote Monday in his Monday Morning Quarterback column. “Roseman has been amenable to such compromises in the past — he took a 2026 third-rounder for Haason Reddick in March 2024 — because he has the job security to do so. Also, such a compromise was already discussed between the Eagles and a team other than the Patriots a couple of months ago, at which point Philly would’ve been accepting a pick three drafts away.”
The 2028 pick sits two drafts out, close enough to the Reddick precedent Roseman has embraced. New England avoids surrendering a selection from the talent-rich 2027 class.
A.J. Brown’s Fit With the New England Patriots
The Vrabel connection is a big factor. The second-year Patriots coach also coached Brown for three seasons in Tennessee. He knows the receiver’s knee injury history firsthand. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels adds to the fit. In 2022, McDaniels ran the Las Vegas Raiders offense around Davante Adams. Adams drew 180 targets and finished with 100 catches, 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brown would step into a near-identical role entering his eighth NFL season alongside second-year quarterback Drake Maye, if the trade at last goes through.
What the Eagles Get Back in an A.J. Brown Trade
Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been absent from New England’s offseason program throughout the offseason and is widely believed to be a roster casualty if a Brown deal closes. The Patriots released Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason and added Romeo Doubs, but the wide receiver room remains without a true No. 1. Brown posted 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns even in what was considered a subpar 2025 campaign, according to Breer in his column.
The Eagles had already rebuilt their receiver corps before this trade reached the finish line. Philadelphia signed Hollywood Brown in March, acquired and extended Dontayvion Wicks, and used a first-round pick on USC’s Makai Lemon. With DeVonta Smith entrenched as the No. 1, A.J. Brown became expendable.
Breer projected the 2028 first-rounder as the structure both franchises can accept. The deal is not done. Final details still need resolution. But with June 1 here and a framework now in place, Brown reuniting with Vrabel in Foxborough remains the most likely outcome, according to Breer.
Patriots Get Major A.J. Brown Trade Update From Insider as Deal Nears