Eagles-AJ Brown Trade Still 'In Play' as Patriots Deny Deadline

The AJ Brown rumors have been loud around the New England Patriots and it really doesn't sound like things are going to die down any time soon for the Philadelphia Eagles.

One topic of conversation as all of the rumors have swirled is the potential timing. The financial impact is much greater for the Eagles if the franchise traded him right now, rather than after June 1. As free agency approached, the idea of a trade was so loud in part because what if teams interested in Brown struck in free agency instead? For example, the Patriots were linked to Alec Pierce. But the Patriots didn't land him, but they did acquire a receiver in Romeo Doubs, which immediately raised the question of whether they would even still be interested in the Eagles superstar.

Karen Guregian of MassLive.com reported shortly after the Patriots signed Doubs that the move "won't necessarily preclude" New England from pursuing Brown. On Thursday, Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and specifically if there is a "deadline" on acquiring a big-name player via trade, like Brown for example. Wolf acknowledged that the only deadline is "salary-cap related," per Guregian.

The market isn't closed

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts with wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) after their touchdown connection during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"Waiting three more months to potentially land the Eagles star wideout in a trade is a tough sell for teams who have already committed tons of money during free agency and might not be able to absorb Brown’s contract," Guregian wrote. "The Patriots? Eliot Wolf, who met with reporters Thursday inside the GP-Atrium, was asked if there was any type of deadline that would prevent him from pursuing a player either now, or a few months down the road.

"The Patriots executive VP of Player Personnel indicated there was no 'deadline' or cut-off date where they’d need to move on specifically from Brown. 'I think the only real deadlines you have are salary-cap related,' Wolf said. 'For instance, did we spend money in free agency that would take us out of something else? But I wouldn’t say there’s a deadline on trying to improve the team.' Translation: Brown is still in play. The Patriots still have a bit of cap space left. They had roughly $46 million left factoring in Dre’Mont Jones Alijah Vera-Tucker and Reggie Gilliam, but will have less after accounting for Romeo Doubs, Kevin Byard, KJ Britt, Julian Hill and Mike Brown."

So, this is the Patriots' vice president of player personnel making it clear there aren't any deadlines for New England as it looks to improve and a team insider acknowledging a deal is still "in play."

It sounds like this market is no where near its end.