The New England Patriots are trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots for a 2028 first-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick.
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— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 1, 2026
ESPN sources: The Eagles are trading Pro-Bowl WR 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 deal that has been speculated on for weeks now finally is happening. Brown and Patriots… pic.twitter.com/9Z8ocpyeJf
The fifth-round draft pick will be the better of New England’s two fifth-round picks in that draft.
The deal ends a months-long saga between Brown and the Eagles, in which there were numerous rumours regarding where the often-disgruntled wide receiver may end up. He reunites with Mike Vrabel with the Patriots, who coached Brown while the two were with the Tennessee Titans from 2019-21.
Brown, 28, caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Eagles, his fourth in Philadelphia.
The star wide receiver, who is a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time Second-Team All-Pro, has 524 catches for 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns over his seven seasons in the NFL with the Eagles and Titans.
Despite helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in 2024, Brown has long been discontented with the passing attack in Philadelphia. At times, he has been upset with the offence as a whole, and at other times, he has specifically targeted quarterback Jalen Hurts with his ire.
Brown’s Eagles teammates spoke to the media throughout the off-season and recently in organized team activities with an expectation that Brown would not be with the team in 2026.
“For us, we’re only focused on learning the offense. It really doesn’t change in terms of our approach to improve,” Hurts said earlier in May. ”There’s an ‘if’ -- obviously it’s been a lingering thing, but nothing can replace all of the greatness that we achieved together.”
“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,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “Just respect him as a man. But this is a business. It’s the NFL. If I’m not here, Jalen’s not here, whoever’s not here, the show goes on.”
Now Brown gets a chance to star in the Patriots offence - New England made a surprising run to the Super Bowl this past season, but the team lacked a true top target in the passing game.
