The New England Patriots will almost certainly be looking to upgrade their wide receiver room this spring. If they pursue a trade, Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown will be among the top options to consider.
Brown is coming off a tumultuous season in Philly. The 28-year-old grew frustrated with his usage in the Eagles’ offense and called the situation a “s–tshow” during a live stream. In the team’s playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Brown had a pair of critical drops and got into a spat with head coach Nick Sirianni.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Brown’s production dipped for the third straight year. He caught 78 of his 121 targets for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. Perhaps the Eagles’ inconsistent offense was to blame, but Brown also battled a nagging hamstring injury and didn’t seem to have the same burst he has shown throughout his career.
While there are plenty of red flags, there’s little doubt that Brown would immediately slot in as Drake Maye’s No. 1 option if he arrived in New England. The question is, would he be worth the hefty price tag?
NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots insider Phil Perry shared his take on Monday’s Early Edition.
“If the Eagles are dying to have a first-round pick for A.J. Brown before they would consider moving him, that to me would be too rich, quite frankly, for a guy who’s still making a lot of money in A.J. Brown, who could still be the guy he was physically, but I think he looks a step slow,” Perry said.
“If he’s in a better situation with a coach that he really likes, with a quarterback that he considers one of the best in the league and maybe better than the one that he’s working with right now in Philadelphia in Jalen Hurts, maybe you see a different player on the field. Maybe you see a more motivated player, maybe you see that burst come back. But the way he’s looked, even though he has been productive when things are going well there in Philly, a first-round pick for A.J. Brown is too rich.
Even if the Patriots are willing to pay up for Brown, a deal may still not make financial sense for the Eagles.
“If they decide to trade him before June 1, the dead money cap hit is almost untenable. It’s over $40 million for Philadelphia. If they trade him after June 1, the number is much more manageable,” Perry added.
“The problem is, by the time June 1 rolls around, the team-building portion of the calendar is through. And so, the Patriots will have — you would think — already built up their receiver room. They will have spent already a lot of their money, you would think. So there are some interesting machinations here involved with an A.J. Brown trade if one is going to occur.”
The money involved makes trading for Brown a pipe dream. New England can’t afford to wait until June to improve its receiver situation.
Fortunately for the Patriots, they will have several intriguing options this offseason. Alec Pierce, Mike Evans, and Jauan Jennings are among the top pending free agents, while Brian Thomas Jr. and Jordan Addison are two of the biggest wideout names expected to be on the trade market.
NFL free agency officially opens when the new league year begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET.
