While New England Patriots fans know that their favorite team can’t officially acquire wantaway Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown before June 1 because of the Eagles’ salary-cap issues, recent stories have hinted that a different team could swoop in and steal Brown from New England before NFL clubs begin their summer breaks.
During a Thursday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, Eagles insider Eliot Shorr-Parks of Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94WIP gave Patriots fans an update regarding Brown’s uncertain future.
Eagles reporter has “full expectation” for how A.J. Brown saga will conclude
“That’s my full expectation,” Shorr-Parks said about the Eagles eventually trading Brown to the Patriots, per Aaliyan Mohammed of NESN. “I believe A.J. will be traded to the Patriots.”
Brown is allegedly hyped to play for New England head coach Mike Vrabel and to catch passes thrown by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Vrabel was Brown’s head coach while with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 through the 2021 campaign, and Maye was a 2025 regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist.
That said, some have wondered if the ongoing controversy involving Vrabel and longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini could somehow impact the Patriots’ supposed desire to land Brown. Earlier this month, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter insisted “there’s nothing that has transpired here, despite all of the events in New England, that has deterred this trade from coming up.”
Eagles, Patriots have this A.J. Brown “expectation”
Before the 2026 NFL Draft got underway, multiple stories suggested that Brown and the Eagles had some sort of agreement worked out for how this saga would end. It sounds like the Eagles and Patriots have since come to terms on what Philadelphia will receive from New England once the transaction can be approved by the NFL.
“Everything I hear in Philadelphia is that A.J. will not be on the team, and the expectation is that he will be traded to New England,” Shorr-Parks added during the segment.
Things often change quickly in the NFL, and there theoretically is a chance that a different team could outbid the Patriots for Brown’s services. However, there’s currently no indication the Eagles are even talking with other clubs about a Brown trade ahead of Memorial Day.