In the latest NFL news today, the Philadelphia Eagles, on June 1st, have agreed to officially 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 New England Patriots giving away a fifth-round selection will help their draft capital for next year’s draft. This trade has been talked about a lot during the offseason and expected for months. This particular trade has been discussed and anticipated across the NFL for months. Brown will now be able to reunite with former head coach Mike Vrabel with the New England Patriots.
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, on the other side, have planned this outcome during the offseason. In this year’s draft, the Eagles traded up in the first round 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.
A.J. Brown: Success in the making for Patriots
With Brown entering the league as a second-round selection with the Tennessee Titans in 2019, he has produced great numbers as a wide receiver, ranking fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Another interesting fact is that there have been only two players in the NFL with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons: Ja’Marr Chase and A.J. Brown.
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, along with winning a Super Bowl that very next season with the team. However, frustrations with the Eagles’ offense grew over the past two seasons, culminating in the three-time Pro Bowler declining 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 about the many different problems with the team and have issues agreeing with about different football situations.
The Patriots inherit Brown’s contract, which runs through the 2029 season and averages $32 million per year, the seventh-highest in the NFL among receivers. The addition of Brown reflects how the Patriots have aggressively reshaped their receiving corps since losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, a process that began with the release of leading receiver Stefon Diggs in March.
Diggs totaled 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in his one season with the Patriots. Both the Eagles and the Patriots will have very interesting schedules, with New England starting the season against four playoff teams: the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Buffalo Bills. The Eagles have the Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans,Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams to start their season. Keep an eye out for both of these teams as the new NFL season begins soon.
