A.J. Brown’s future with the Philadelphia Eagles is in doubt in light of his recent dubious social media behaviour and DeVonta Smith’s contract extension. The New England Patriots should pursue a trade for the standout receiver if he doesn’t.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Patriots have already contacted the Eagles about trading for Brown. While Breer pointed out that the Eagles haven’t been open to considering bids for Brown up to this point, it’s clear that this is a positive step.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t try to acquire Brown. Let’s pretend to be the Patriots’ general manager and try to formulate an offer for Brown.
Let’s examine a few recent deals involving elite receivers to help formulate a compelling pitch to acquire Brown. The Green Bay Packers transferred a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 in exchange for Davante Adams. Later in the offseason, Tyreek Hill was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with a first-round, second-round, two fourth-round, and sixth-round pick. A few weeks later, A.J. Brown was purchased by the Eagles in exchange for a first-round and a third-round pick.
After no star receivers were on the move last offseason, we’ve already seen a pair get moved this offseason. The Chicago Bears got Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers for a fourth-round pick while the Buffalo Bills got a 2025 second-round pick for Stefon Diggs, but also had to give up a pair of late-round picks (a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick).
While the price for a star receiver seemingly went down this offseason, acquiring Brown certainly won’t be as cheap as it was for the Bears to get Allen or for the Texans to land Diggs. Both receivers are 30 or older, with the former dealing with a handful of injuries over his career and the latter struggling in the second half of last season. Brown has age and health on his side as he’ll only turn 27 in June and has only missed six games in the first five years of his career.
However, all of the first-round selections that were traded for a top receiver in the 2022 summer were acquired in the middle or later in the draft. The Patriots, who own the third overall pick—a price too high to pay—do not enjoy that luxury. Giving up their previous second-round pick, they could offer Brown the 34th overall pick, but that certainly wouldn’t be sufficient either.
In trying to offer Brown a pick in this year’s draft, the Patriots are essentially at a loss. However, they can get inventive and try to provide several over a number of years, or they might offer a conditional choice later on in the future, contingent on the team’s performance and Brown’s influence in New England.
The Eagles will probably seek to acquire a selection in the first few rounds of this year’s draft, given their window of opportunity to contend for a championship. Give them that, and in this year’s draft, hand the Eagles the Patriots’ third-round selection (68th overall).
Beyond that, the Patriots ought to create an opportunity for the Eagles to acquire a first-round choice from them the next year. So, let’s give Brown a conditional second-round pick in 2025, which becomes a first-round pick in the event that the Patriots advance to the playoffs in 2024. Let’s also give the Eagles a 2025 and a 2026 fourth-round selection to sweeten the deal.
