The Philadelphia Eagles traded wide receiver AJ Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday, ending months of speculation about the star player's future.
Both teams announced the deal. The Eagles said they will receive a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 in exchange for the three-time Pro Bowl selection.
The trade comes after a frustrating 2025 season for Brown in Philadelphia. He caught 78 passes over 15 games for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns, but he had grown dispirited with an Eagles offense that played uninspired football at times while the team ultimately failed to defend their Super Bowl title.
Brown's arrival in New England will be a reunion with coach Mike Vrabel, whom Brown played under for three seasons after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2019.
Brown, 28, quickly rose to the top receiving option in Philadelphia after being traded by Tennessee to the Eagles in 2022. He had back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns in his first two seasons with the Eagles, catching 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 and 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.
He earned a Super Bowl ring during the 2024 season, but began to grow unhappy last season as the Eagles offense stagnated, leading to a change at offensive coordinator following a wild-card playoff loss to San Francisco.
It led to an increase in chatter about the potential for a trade heading into this offseason. It did not happen during April's NFL draft, probably because the Eagles would have had about $43 million in dead cap money for 2026 compared to about $16 million this year and $27 million next year if Brown was traded after June 1.
Ultimately, a high draft pick proved to be enough to persuade them to deal a player of Brown's caliber.
The Patriots have been viewed as a possible landing spot for Brown since they released receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs led the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season in New England in 2025, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Diggs's exit made finding a No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Drake Maye a priority.
