The Philadelphia Eagles traded star broad receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, the Patriots announced on Monday. The Eagles individually confirmed the transfer, receiving a 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick in return.
Terms of the deal had been first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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It was the league’s second main trade of the day after the Los Angeles Rams acquired two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a package deal involving 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and a 2027 first-round pick.
Brown had just a few moments of visible frustration on the Eagles’ sideline in the course of the 2025 season. Those blowups, mixed with diminishing manufacturing in the previous two seasons, resulted in Brown’s time with the staff coming to a untimely finish.
While Brown, 28, appeared at odds with the Eagles at varied factors over his profession, issues appeared to come to a head in the course of the 2025 season. With Brown struggling to put up his traditional numbers early in the season, the wideout had a number of situations in which he complained — either cryptically or behind closed doors — in regards to the staff’s efficiency.
Things appeared to attain an inflection level in the course of the Eagles’ wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers, when cameras captured Brown and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni yelling at one another on the sideline. Sirianni downplayed the second after the sport. Brown didn’t meet with the media after the loss.
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It was a irritating sport for Brown, who completed with simply 25 receiving yards. He caught simply three of his seven targets in the 23-19 loss and had at least three bad drops in the sport.
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Those struggles proved to be emblematic of Brown’s 2025 season, which noticed him submit his lowest receiving whole — 1,003 yards — since becoming a member of the Eagles. Brown additionally posted a 64.5 catch charge in 2025, his lowest whole in three seasons.
All of these elements resulted in rumors suggesting Brown might be traded over the offseason. Those rumors obtained some validity in February, when Sirianni and Eagles common supervisor Howie Roseman implied Brown’s return to Philadelphia for the 2026 season was not a guarantee.
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Those feedback proved to be a harbinger for the trade.
Shortly after these feedback, studies emerged suggesting Brown could be traded to the Patriots … however not till June 2. Due to the best way Brown’s contract was structured, the Eagles can take a a lot smaller dead-cap hit if Brown was traded on or after that date. In order to make an NFL transaction, the transfer have to be in by 4 p.m. ET on that day. Because of that, Brown can technically be traded any time after 4 p.m. ET on June 1 and it could depend as a June 2 trade. That’s why analysts anticipated Brown to get moved Monday.
With each groups holding out till June 2, the Eagles can now unfold out Brown’s dead-cap hit over the following two seasons.
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When wholesome — and completely satisfied — Brown has carried out like the most effective receivers in the NFL. After some promising early seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Brown was traded to the Eagles forward of the 2022 season.
Over the following two seasons, Brown averaged 97 catches, 1,476 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl each years, was named to the second-team All-Pro staff and obtained down-ballot votes for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.
Brown was on tempo to submit related numbers in 2024, however hamstring and knee points restricted him to 13 video games. He was nonetheless adequate in restricted work to make the second-team All-Pro staff for the third straight season.
Things fell aside for each Brown and the Eagles in 2025. After dropping offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, your complete Eagles’ offense dropped from seventh in scoring in 2024 to nineteenth in 2025. Kevin Patullo was promoted to the position, the place he lasted only one season. In his solely yr because the staff’s offensive coordinator, the Eagles faced criticism for a lack of innovation.
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Because of that, Brown struggled to put up his traditional numbers. Despite enjoying in two extra video games in 2025, Brown failed to exceed his 2024 yardage whole. He averaged simply 66.9 yards per sport, his lowest whole since 2021.
A couple of months earlier than the beginning of the 2024 season, Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension with the Eagles. That extension will not kick in till the 2027 season, that means Brown is presently signed by way of 2029. Because of that, the Eagles had been reportedly asking so much for the wideout in trade talks.
With the trade, a bounce-back season might be on the horizon for Brown. If Brown’s struggles in 2025 had been largely due to enjoying in a dysfunctional offense, and never an indication of decline, the wideout might nonetheless present a number of years of elite manufacturing earlier than his contract is up.
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In a breakdown of teams that improved specific units this offseason, Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice said that is how the Patriots’ offense will enhance with their addition of Brown:
Brown is a confirmed distinction maker towards any sort of protection and in a number of offenses. … whereas [Romeo] Doubs has been efficient on outbreakers and cease routes, Brown fills out the remainder of the route tree along with his downfield potential and every time he desires to faucet into the Fountain of YAC in which he bathed himself at the start of his profession.
It stays to be seen if Brown’s drop in velocity final yr was due to accidents, age or disinterest, or perhaps a mix. Perhaps recent environment will assist inject one other surge in efficiency whereas enjoying with [Drake] Maye. Even a barely diminished Brown shall be simply essentially the most gifted receiver on the Patriots’ roster. And his downfield and explosive play potential on inbreakers will match in completely with Maye’s aggression, whereas additionally pushing the remainder of New England’s go catchers into higher roles as complementary items.
This story shall be up to date.