A.J. Brown Timeline: The Many Tumultuous Moments That Led to Patriots Trade

At long last, A.J. Brown is a Patriot.

Following months of rumors and speculation, the Eagles officially traded Brown to the Patriots on Monday in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Brown will leave Philadelphia as a Super Bowl champion after recording 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns for the Eagles over his four seasons with the team. While Brown has been the subject of trade rumors for months amid the Eagles’ persistent offensive struggles, this trade has been years in the making.

Here’s a timeline of events that led to Brown eventually becoming a Patriot.

April 28, 2022: A.J. Brown is traded to Eagles, signs new deal

Just over four years ago, the Titans traded A.J. Brown to the Eagles on draft day. The deal came as Brown and the Titans were unable to agree on a contract extension.

The trade led to a viral moment where then Titans-coach Mike Vrabel appeared visibly upset by the move, seeing his best offensive player outside of Derrick Henry dealt to another team.

Feb 12, 2023: A.J. Brown, Eagles lose to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl

Brown had immediate success in his first season as an Eagle, recording a career-high 1,469 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Chiefs.

Sept. 14, 2023: A.J. Brown appears frustrated with Jalen Hurts on sideline during TNF win over Vikings

The cracks in the relationship between Brown and Hurts began to show in early 2023, when Brown appeared upset with Hurts on the sideline during a Week 2 win over the Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Although the Eagles secured the victory, Brown recorded just four catches for 29 yards in the game.

After the game, Hurts said he has “no worry” about Brown and reiterated that they are best friends.

“I think just for us, he’s a hell of a player and that’s my best friend. That’s my best friend, I’ll just say that,” said Hurts. “We’ll just continue to grow. Continue to grow and put winning first. That’s the number one thing for us.”

Brown would catch fire in the weeks after this game, recording more than 125 receiving yards in six consecutive weeks.

Dec. 2023: A.J. Brown doesn’t talk to media after loss to Cardinals

As the Eagles season began to fall apart late in 2023, Brown declined to speak to the media following a loss to the Cardinals, a game in which Philadelphia blew a double-digit lead.

Brown later apologized to his teammates and explained to reporters, “I was raised if I had nothing nice to say, I’m not gonna say nothing at all,” Brown said. “I’m not going to continue to compound a negative with a negative. There’s nothing more that I can say. I’m not trying to make it worse than what it is. On top of that, everything I do or say, I’m classified as a monster.”

April 2024: Patriots inquired about a trade for A.J. Brown

Two years ago, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Patriots inquired with the Eagles about a trade for A.J. Brown. The report came amid Brown changing his profile picture to Tom Brady, his favorite player ever. Brown grew up a Patriots fan.

Brown defended the decision, explaining, "[Tom Brady] is my favorite player ever," Brown wrote. "... Did not think changing my [profile picture] to the greatest QB ever would cause controversy."

Dec. 8, 2024: A.J. Brown expresses frustrations with Eagles offense

Though the Eagles were in the middle of a 10-game winning streak in the 2024 season, their passing game was not thriving as December rolled around. This was particularly evident during a win over the lowly Panthers, which saw Carolina nearly come back and win. Hurts threw for just 108 yards during the contest.

Brown slammed his helmet during the game due to frustration after going three-and-out, and after the victory simply said “passing” when asked what the Eagles offense could improve upon.

Dec. 9, 2024: Brandon Graham describes rift between A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts

The day after the Panthers game, Brandon Graham caused the drama to escalate after indicating there was a rift between Brown and Hurts.

"I don't know the whole story, but I know that 1 [Jalen Hurts] is trying and 11 [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things,” Graham said during a radio appearance.

"They was friends before this," he added. "But things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But we’ve gotta—it’s the business side that we have to make sure that we don’t let the personal get in the way of the business.”

Graham later clarified his comments, explaining, “I just assumed [about their friendship] and it made me out to look even worse because I had it all wrong and now people are going to run with that part.”

Dec. 15, 2024: Eagles passing offense bounces back

The following week, the Eagles passing offense rebounded with Brown recording 110 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Steelers. After the game, he credited his comments for helping them get back on track.

“Absolutely. I said it for a reason," Brown said. “I didn’t have ill intentions behind it. It wasn’t for me to get the ball. It was just for us to all get on the same page and put our best foot forward. We know what we’re capable of, and last week wasn't our standard.”

Jan. 12, 2025: A.J. Brown reads a book on the sidelines of a playoff game

While the Eagles passing attack improved against the Steelers, that performance didn’t carry over into their wild-card win over the Packers. Brown had just one catch for 10 yards during the game, and was seen reading Jim Murphy’s book “Inner Excellence” on the sidelines.

Feb. 9, 2025: Eagles win Super Bowl LIX

Despite the Eagles ranking 29th in passing yards in 2024, they went on to blow out the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, getting revenge for their loss two years prior. Brown, who caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown, said after the win, “We can’t rewrite history but we can make it even.”

Feb. 14 2025: A.J. Brown delivers fiery speech at Eagles parade

As the Eagles celebrated their Super Bowl win with the city of Philadelphia, Brown said during his parade speech, "They said I was a diva. They said all I care about was stats. You gonna get all those things wrong about me, but one thing you’re gonna get right: I’m a f---ing champion!”

Two days prior, Brown reflected on the championship victory in an Instagram post. “I’ve never been a champion at the highest level before but I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all. It wasn’t,” Brown wrote. “My thrill for this game comes when I dominate. It’s the Hunt that does it for me. It’s when the DB drops his head and surrenders because he can’t F with me. The Intense battles. Early mornings. Late nights. Sacrifices. I love putting smiles on peoples faces, don’t get me wrong but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s the journey that I love the most. BACK 2 Work!”

Sep. 24, 2025: A.J. Brown calls for offense to be more aggressive

Despite the Eagles beginning the season 3–0, the concerns over the passing game quickly resurfaced in the 2025 season. Before their Week 4 game against the Buccaneers, Brown told reporters, “I think it took too long as an offense to adjust [in Week 3] and be more aggressive. When one thing’s not working, let’s not keep trying to bang our head on the wall and see if it’ll work. Let’s mix it up and do what we need to do.”

Sep. 28, 2025: A.J. Brown makes cryptic tweet

After a win over the Buccaneers which saw Brown record just two catches for seven yards, he cryptically posted a Bible verse on social media.

Brown addressed the tweet days later and said, “Obviously, Sunday after the game, I let my frustrations boil over... I take full accountability for that. I have an open communication with all my coaches and with my quarterback as well. Me and my coaches, [Kevin Patullo] and Nick [Sirianni], we discuss weekly about trying to stay on the same page.”

Oct. 6, 2025: Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley have conversation with A.J. Brown

Following a loss to the Broncos, it was reported that Hurts and Saquon Barkley had a positive conversation with Brown going over the team’s issues. Both Hurts and Barkley confirmed the chat took place.

Nov. 4, 2025: Howie Roseman explained why the Eagles didn’t trade Brown before the deadline

Amid the Eagles’ offensive woes and Brown’s posts, the star receiver became a potential trade candidate. The Eagles did not deal him before the midseason deadline.

“I think that when you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players. And A.J. Brown is a great player,” Howie Roseman explained. “He wears the ‘C’ for a reason. He’s [an] important part of this team, of this organization.”

November 2025: A.J. Brown makes more cryptic comments while playing Madden

While playing Madden on a Twitch stream, Brown made some notable comments. He scored a touchdown in the game and said, “That's the only highlights of d--- football I been living right now.” He also said during the game, “If you got me on fantasy, get rid of me.”

Brown explained his comments later in the week by telling reporters, “Obviously I want to win, too. I think if we’re really focusing on winning and doing our job, we can’t just keep slapping the band-aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble. At what point are we going to pick up our slack as an offense. We’re so great, you know? That’s what I’m getting at. It’s not about I don’t care about winning and all I care about is stats. No. It’s been, week after week sometimes, we’re not contributing, we’re not doing our job on offense.”

Nov. 13, 2025: A.J. Brown meets with owner Jeffrey Lurie

Amid all the drama, posts and comments, Brown met with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. Brown reportedly apologized to Lurie for venting on social media, and Lurie told him he did not need to apologize.

Nov. 16, 2025: A.J. Brown explains frustrations after win over Lions

Following another lackluster performance by the Eagles offense in a win over the Lions, Brown explained the root of his frustrations again. He said, “It wasn’t about targets last week or the week before. It wasn’t about that at all. It was me trying to help and contribute, that’s all.”

Jan. 11, 2026: A.J. Brown, Nick Sirianni get into argument during playoff game

During the Eagles’ woeful loss to a heavily-injured 49ers team, Brown was seen having a heated exchange with coach Nick Sirianni after dropping two passes. Brown recorded just 23 yards in the 23–19 loss to the 49ers, in what would be his final game as an Eagle.

After the loss, Brown avoided speaking to the media.

February 2026: Nick Sirianni says he can’t guarantee A.J. Brown will be back

At the NFL combine, Sirianni opened the door to trade conversations when he noted he could not guarantee that A.J. Brown would be back in 2026.

“As Howie said, it's hard to get good players in this league. A.J.’s a great player and A.J. is a good teammate and A.J. is a good person. Does he want to be here? Yes. Do I want him to be here? Yes.

“Will A.J. be here next season? I think we’re still in a spot, like, I can’t guarantee how anything is going to play out into next season. I’m thinking I’m going to be the coach next season but you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow.”

March 2026: A.J. Brown trade hits a standstill after Eagles had trade conversations with Rams, Patriots

Amid reports that the Eagles had trade conversations with both the Rams and Patriots, a trade for Brown hit a standstill. The Rams pulled out of trade talks, instead pivoting to Myles Garrett as of late. The Eagles, meanwhile, waited until June 1 to get a deal done, when they would take less of a hit from Brown’s contract.

June 1: Eagles trade A.J. Brown to the Patriots

Finally, June 1 has arrived. As such, the Eagles officially traded Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Brown, who grew up a Patriots fan, will now play for his childhood team and reunite with Mike Vrabel.

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