The New England Patriots acquired star wide receiver A.J. Brown on Monday from Philadelphia for what the Eagles announced were a first-round draft pick in 2028 and a fifth-rounder in 2027.
While New England did not disclose trade terms, ESPN reported the 2027 pick will be the better of the Patriots’ two fifth-round selections. The transaction is pending a physical.
New England was widely speculated as the destination for Brown, who played for Patriots coach Mike Vrabel when he coached the Tennessee Titans in 2019-22. Brown was traded to the Eagles in April 2022 for first- and third-round picks in the 2022 draft.
Brown, who turns 29 this month, is a three-time Pro Bowler who was selected second-team All-Pro with the Eagles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
He averaged 72.5 catches and 1,041 receiving yards in the past two seasons, compared to 97.0 and 1,476 in his first two seasons with Philadelphia from 2022-23. Brown has the two highest single-season receiving yards totals in franchise history in 2022 (1,496) and 2023 (1,456).
Brown finished his four years in Philadelphia with 339 receptions for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns in 62 regular-season games (61 starts), and 28 catches for three TDs in eight playoff games (all starts) and a Super Bowl championship in the 2024 season.
While Brown’s frustration with the Eagles’ offense in recent seasons led to speculation of a trade for months, the incentive for Philadelphia was to delay any movement until Monday. The dead cap hit to the Eagles for trading him before June 1 was $43.45 million for 2026, and now can be split across the 2026 ($16.3 million) and 2027 ($27.1 million) seasons, NFL Network reported. His contract, now with New England, runs through the 2029 season and averages $32 million per season, ESPN reported.
Both teams had been preparing for the seemingly inevitable trade of the Eagles’ No. 1 receiver. The reigning AFC champion Patriots previously signed Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers after releasing veteran Stefon Diggs, now a free agent.
Philadelphia already had a top target in DeVonta Smith, viewed as a potential No. 1 receiver. The Eagles signed Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, traded for the Packers’ Dontayvion Wicks and traded up in the 2026 draft to selected Southern California wideout Makai Lemon in the first round, among several moves to fortify the receiver room.
