A.J. Brown dealt to Patriots in trade with Eagles after months of speculation

After months of speculation, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots have agreed to a trade for star wide receiver A.J. Brown. The Patriots announced that they have acquired Brown in a trade with the Eagles for future draft choices.   

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Eagles will send A.J. Brown to the Patriots "for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick that is the better of New England's two fifths."

The move comes after countless reports that Brown was unhappy in Philadelphia. Throughout the offseason, the Patriots have been linked to trade rumors involving Brown. Even after New England signed Romeo Doubs in free agency, the rumors persisted.

June 1 has always been viewed as a key date in the sweepstakes for Brown. If Brown was traded before June 1, the Eagles would have incurred a massive salary cap hit. By trading him after that date, Philadelphia is now able to split the $40 million over this year and next season.

Brown turns 29 years old on June 30.

During his seven years since being drafted by the Titans out of Ole Miss, Brown has only fallen short of 1,000 yards one time. That came during an injury-shortened 2021 season.

In three years with the Titans and four seasons with the Eagles, Brown has 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns.

Brown has dealt with a knee injury throughout his career. But, as noted by Albert Breer of SI Now earlier in the offseason, the financial commitment for New England is essentially a 2-year commitment for about $50 million.

A.J. Brown traded to Patriots

Brown is a noted Patriots fan who said he cried when Bill Belichick didn't draft him in 2019. Brown joked about the idea of joining New England during an appearance on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski's podcast that was recorded this year during Super Bowl week.

Another reason the Patriots were long rumored as a potential landing spot for Brown was his relationship with head coach Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel coached Brown in Tennessee, and praised his former player during the NFL Combine.

"I think the relationship with players, and specifically, you asked about A.J. It has meant a lot. I've watched him grow. I've watched him mature. I'm proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I'm proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played," Vrabel said. "Those are the things that are important. We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don't go so well for the people that you're close with, and you text for those as well. It's a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today."

What Eagles said about A.J. Brown

Despite winning a Super Bowl with the Eagles and putting up stellar numbers, Brown appeared unhappy in Philadelphia and his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts reportedly soured. During Philadelphia's recent OTA sessions, Hurts was asked about his relationship with Brown and said it's "really good." 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley also spoke about rumors surrounding Brown, saying he understands the NFL is a business. 

"It's going to be a hard time for me to say anything bad about A.J. Brown," Barkley said. "I'm a big fan of A.J. Brown, one of my really good friends, one of my favorite teammates I've ever been around, just respect him as a man. But this is the business. It's the NFL. If I'm not here, Jalen's not here; if whoever is not here, the show goes on, and that's just how the NFL operates."

Brown will likely get the chance to see his former teammates this summer. The Patriots and Eagles play August 22 in a preseason game, and are scheduled to hold joint practices before the game.