A.J. Brown to the Patriots may not happen until the June 1st deadline, says The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown's intentions for where he wants to play in 2026 have been under a microscope for what feels like months now.
Even during the regular season, when Brown openly showed some displeasure with the Eagles' offensive production, there was buzz that he wanted to reunite with his former coach, Mike Vrabel, and make another run at a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Going into free agency this past week, many waited to see whether the Patriots would make a move and send a trade offer to the Eagles. It looks like we may have to keep waiting a little while longer to see if anything comes from that.
According to The Athletic's NFL Insider Dianna Russini, both the Rams and Patriots have been in contact with the Eagles regarding a trade for Brown, but no deal seems imminent at this time.
However, if a move were to be made on Brown, it would likely be closer to the June 1st deadline.
It all boils down to dead cap when it comes to the Brown trade; hence, the Eagles want to wait to move him until June. Right now, if the Eagles were to trade Brown anywhere, they would have $43 million in dead cap money for Brown if they trade him prior to June 1. That number lowers significantly to $16.4 million if they wait until after.
The ball really does remain in the Eagles' court, wherever they would want to trade Brown. If there is no lucrative offer, they could just keep him. The Eagles still have a Super Bowl window at the moment. They were just there a little over a year ago.
Brown may be a bit opinionated about the team's dysfunction, but reports from the likes of Albert Breer suggest he's still held in high regard in the Eagles' locker room.
If anything, this buys the Patriots time. They had a highly successful week of signing free agents to their team. Maybe not flashy additions, but players that fit the bill for their needs.
The Patriots' VP of Player Personnel, Eliot Wolf, has been very good at telling the media a lot this week without revealing too many details to the public. One must wonder what the plan is if the potential to acquire A.J. Brown lands in the Patriots' lap in a few months.
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