The New England Patriots have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for A.J. Brown, but there are times when a trade would make more sense than it would right now.
Daniel Fisher believes a trade between the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles may not be as simple, or even as smart for either side, as it sounds to most. A lot of that is due to the money situation and the timing of a deal.
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“The Eagles aren’t in a strong position to trade him at the moment because doing so would leave them with $43 million in dead money this season and a $20 million loss in cap space. However, the Eagles could consider trading Brown after June 1, which would reduce the dead cap hit to $16 million this season and save them $7 million in cap space.
“It’s more likely that the Eagles would trade Brown after June 1, which means New England wouldn’t be able to use any of its 2026 NFL Draft picks to acquire him. Philadelphia seems to want a first-round pick in return, and the Patriots could be willing to part with a 2027 first-round pick, but they have no idea where that pick might end up,” Fisher wrote.
Trading a future first-round pick is never the best idea, but for someone like Brown, the Eagles would be looking for one. The Patriots could be just one piece away, and though they’re still putting together their roster after losing in the Super Bowl, Brown might put them over the top.
However, this is where risk comes into play. Giving up picks for a star player, no matter how talented, could backfire if he comes in and doesn’t do his job. However, that’s the price of business and what the going rate is for a player of Brown’s caliber.
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For Philadelphia, the situation isn’t much easier. Even with a post-June 1 move lowering the cap hit, moving on from a player like Brown would require a massive return for it to make sense, as it’ll be tough to replace him.
If he goes anywhere, New England would still make sense for both sides.
