Multiple Authors
The Eagles agreed Monday to trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a first-round draft pick in 2028 and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The fifth-round selection will be the better of New England’s two selections in that round of next year’s draft, sources told ESPN.
The trade, which has been discussed and anticipated across the NFL for months, reunites Brown and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Brown, who turns 29 on June 30, gives Patriots quarterback Drake Maye a No. 1 target as part of a revamped top of the receiver depth chart alongside free agent signing Romeo Doubs.
The Eagles, likewise, have planned for Brown’s departure all offseason, trading up in the first round of this year’s draft for USC receiver Makai Lemon while also trading for Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks and signing Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore as free agents.
By waiting until June 1, the Eagles can now split Brown’s $40 million salary cap charge between 2026 and 2027.
ReceiverSeasonsA.J. Brown2019-25Tyreek Hill2016-22Calvin Johnsson2007-13Larry Fitzgerald2004-10Randy Moss1998-04Marvin Harrison1996-02Jerry Rice1985-91– ESPN Research
Since entering the league as a second-round selection of the Vrabel-coached Tennessee Titans in 2019, Brown is fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase are the NFL’s only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
Brown left his mark on Philadelphia, where he has the two highest single-season receiving yard totals in franchise history: 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023.
But Brown’s frustrations with the Eagles’ offense grew the past two seasons, bubbling to the surface via cryptic social media posts or during media scrums, even amid winning streaks.
The three-time Pro Bowler declined to speak to the media in the latter stages of the 2025 season, coinciding with his on-field meeting with CEO Jeffrey Lurie in mid-November when Brown promised he would stop complaining publicly.
The Patriots inherit Brown’s contract, which runs through the 2029 season and averages $32 million per season, which is the seventh highest in the NFL among receivers.
New England was one of Brown’s preferred destinations, in part because of Vrabel. Brown played for Vrabel from 2019 to 2021 with the Titans, and the two have maintained a connection beyond football, according to Vrabel.
The addition of Brown reflects how the Patriots have aggressively changed their receiving corps since losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, which began with releasing leading receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs totaled 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in his one season with the Patriots.
Vrabel previously said he believed the Patriots will be able to replace that production but was more focused on matching the remarkable efficiency Diggs provided (83.3% catch rate).
The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Brown is more of a perimeter target than Diggs, while Doubs (6-2, 204) is viewed by the Patriots as an interchangeable receiver who can move around the formation. In March, the Patriots signed Doubs to a four-year, $68 million base value contract as one of their top free agent acquisitions.
Brown and Doubs top a depth chart that also includes veteran Mack Hollins, fourth-year players Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas, 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams, and slot Efton Chism III.
The Patriots will be the first team in NFL history to begin the season with four straight games against playoff teams from the previous season after playing in the Super Bowl, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
ESPN’s Tim McManus contributed to this report.
