Patriots Trading For A.J. Brown Might Already Be Done Deal
The all-important June 1 date continues to creep up on NFL fans. Both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have that day circled for the same reason -- A.J. Brown's status on the trade block.
Once the calendar flips to June, Brown's guarantees in his Eagles contract will cut in half. That's been the main catalyst for why Philadelphia would want to trade the star receiver. It's been New England all along, and it feels like a done deal, right?
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, it's pretty close to happening.
"As for where he's going, it always made sense for the Eagles to wait to 'agree to terms' until the last minute because things can change elsewhere (and already have with the (Rashee) Rice situation in Kansas City)," Breer wrote. "But the Chiefs, Chargers, Bills and Rams all had their shot at this already, and I think the final result will be what everyone's treating as a fait accompli, and that's Brown reuniting with Mike Vrabel in New England."
If you're not an expert in French, "fait accompli" essentially means something that's already agreed upon. Sports books already assume Brown will be a Patriots wide receiver. Fantasy sites have "NE" next to his name. It's become the NFL's worst kept secret.
So other teams who might have been interested in the past, like the Rams and Chiefs, are still technically in the race -- as is every other team in the NFL. But there hasn't been much traction on those fronts, and it feels like the Patriots remain the only team actually expressing interest.
Sure, the Chiefs could swoop in at the last second and outbid New England for the former Pro Bowler. So could the Bills, who already added DJ Moore via trade this offseason. Would they? Likely not.
How Have Patriots Prepared For This Opportunity?
To see that New England might have been clued into this possibility, just look at who they drafted in last month's NFL Draft. More specifically, look at who they didn't select.
Seven rounds came and went, and no wide receicers were taken off the board by the Patriots. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf downplayed that, but it was eye-opening that the team didn't decide to commit a draft pick on a wide receiver.
"That's how the board fell," Wolf said following the draft. "There were some situations where there were some receivers that we liked that we – they just got picked in front of where we were. So, just how it fell, not a conscious decision, and I think we'll probably be pretty competitive here with the undrafted guys at that position."
They were competitive in the UDFA market, bringing in four rookies, but none of them have the skillset that Brown possesses. As a downfield threat that can work outside the numbers, no Patriots wide receiver really fits that bill exactly.
The one closest player would be Kayshon Boutte, who hasn't been present at the team's voluntary offseason workouts. While yes, it's voluntary and no player is required to attend, it is a bit eye-opening that Boutte -- who's been tossed around in these trade rumors for months and is entering the final season of his rookie deal -- hasn't been spotted.
Maybe he's been made aware of a potential deal. Just like how Breer alluded to, it's possible that the terms might have already been hammered out, though both sides might not want to openly admit it.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots Trading For A.J. Brown Might Already Be Done Deal.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 2:14 PM.