The A.J. Brown trade is finally complete, and the New England Patriots — pending a physical on Tuesday morning — now have a veteran wide receiver on their roster who should slot right into a starting role. Of course, veteran players of that caliber are typically well-compensated, and the 28-year-old is no exception.
Brown signed two major contracts during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed a four-year, $100 million deal after getting traded to the club in 2022, followed by a three-year, $96 million extension in 2024.
The Patriots are not taking on the entirety of the remaining value of those deals, but they are on the hook for a significant chunk. Looking at the structure of the deal, however, we can safely classify it as “unconventional.” Unlike most NFL deals not negotiated by Eagles GM Howie Roseman, this particular pact is filled to the brim with option bonuses and void years.
This is why the contract is ripe for renegotiation now that Brown is a Patriot; based on New England’s contractual modus operandi a more traditional structure is preferred. For the time being, however, Brown’s pact looks like this:
WR A.J. Brown: Contract details
Base value: $112,750,000
Maximum value: $112,750,000
Guarantees: $32,750,000
Base salary (2026): $1,300,000
Option bonus (2026): $27,450,000
Option bonus (2027): $4,000,000
2026 (age 29):
Base salary: $1,300,000
Option bonus (2026): $5,490,000
Salary cap hit: $6,790,000
2027 (age 30):
Base salary: $1,345,000
Option bonus (2026): $5,490,000
Option bonus (2027): $3,881,000
Workout bonus: $250,000
Salary cap hit: $10,966,000
2028 (age 31):
Base salary: $1,390,000
Option bonus (2026): $5,490,000
Option bonus (2027): $3,881,000
Option bonus (2028): $5,872,000
Roster bonus: $1,000,000
Workout bonus: $250,000
Salary cap hit: $17,883,000
2029 (age 32):
Base salary: $1,390,000
Option bonus (2026): $5,490,000
Option bonus (2027): $3,881,000
Option bonus (2028): $5,872,000
Option bonus (2029): $5,663,000
Roster bonus: $1,000,000
Workout bonus: $250,000
Salary cap hit: $23,591,000
2030 (age 33): Void
Option bonus (2026): $5,490,000
Option bonus (2027): $7,762,000
Option bonus (2028): $17,6161,000
Option bonus (2029): $22,652,000
Salary cap hit: $53,520,000
Let’s start with the easy part: as mentioned above and is standard procedure with virtually every NFL trade, not all of Brown’s remaining contract money transferred from the Eagles to the Patriots. Philadelphia was left with a combination of signing and option bonuses valued at around $43.36 million — a dead money charge the Eagles will be able to split into two fractions of $16.3 million (2026) and $27.1 million (2027).
This is relevant for the Patriots because it limits the guarantees left in Brown’s deal.
Only his 2026 compensation falls into that category, plus parts of his 2027 option bonus for a combined sum of $32.75 million. This, in turn, is why renegotiating the pact is a realistic possibility for New England without compromising their own cap position or Brown’s financial outlook.
Now, about those options. The Eagles have structured Brown’s pact in a way that gives them the freedom to either exercise each option to prorate it over a five-year period, or decline it to turn it into what effectively is a lump-sum payment.
Let’s use 2026 as an example to illustrate how this works. Brown has a $27.45 million option in his deal for this season, and he is contractually entitled to that money. The question is when it will become relevant for cap purposes.
If the Patriots decide to exercise the option — they have until the day before the regular season opener to do so — its cap impact will, as mentioned earlier, be spread out over a five-year period (the maximum allowed by the NFL). This means guaranteed cap hits of $5.49 million from that option for every year between 2026 and 2030.
If the Patriots decline, the entire $27.45 million will hit their books this year without any future cap impact from that particular option.
Considering how the Eagles structured his deal, this game starts anew every season until 2029. The bonuses beyond this year are worth $19.41 million (2027), $29.36 million (2028), and $28.32 million (2029), and the Patriots can opt for an all-in-one payment or five-year proration each time.
If they go the latter route, Brown’s cap hits between 2026 and 2029 remain quite manageable. However, there is a caveat: he is only signed through the 2029 season, and his contract is set to void on Feb. 20, 2030. At that point, all the unaccounted-for option hits remaining will hit the Patriots’ cap at once for a maximum dead cap sum of $53.52 million if all the options had been exercised.
Brown’s deal includes annual workout bonuses worth $250,000 — the 2026 portion of which did not move to New England alongside the player — as well as a $1 million roster bonus in each 2028 and 2029. How much all of that, and in fact the original structure as is, will be relevant in the future remains to be seen.
Given all we know about the Patriots and Brown’s contract, however, is is safe to assume that some adjustment is bound to happen.
