Eagles-Patriots AJ Brown 'Standstill' Explained

With the new league year just about here in the National Football League, Philadelphia Eagles superstar AJ Brown still is a member of the franchise, despite endless and loud trade rumors.

With free agency beginning this week, Brown's future has remained a popular topic out there across the league, but he has not been moved and there is no end in sight. In fact, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer joined "The Rich Eisen Show" on Wednesday and said the market is at a "standstill."

"The AJ Brown thing is sort of at a standstill," Breer said. "And the Eagles don't seem like they are in particular rush to push anything across the goal line that they don't see commensurate with his value as a player."

The Eagles superstar has been connected to the Patriots

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

From there, Breer was asked why there has even been chatter about Brown's future with the franchise this offseason.

"It's a good question," Breer continued. "So, I think part of it is really where they are as a team right now. Some of the bills of the last few years have come due. ... they were priced out on Jaelan Phillips, who they really wanted to keep. ... Eventually, they're going to need to flip the roster a little but. There's also just, kind of the general sense of back and forth and everything that has happened over the last couple of years. ... They've at least entertained the idea of him going elsewhere and I can tell you that his camp has done its homework and has kind of figured out what's out there. ...

"I don't know if there's more than one team really involved, which I think explains it's sort of at a standstill. ...I think [that team's] New England. ... It does feel like a little bit of a staring contest right now."

You can view the entire segment right here.

This aligns with the noise that has been out there. The Patriots were on Brown's reported four-team "wish-list." They have been the team most connected to Brown all offseason to this point. With each day, there seems to be another update on Brown and in some way, shape, or form, the Patriots seem to be connected. Philadelphia has had a high reported asking price, but NFL Network's Mike Garafolo noted that Howie Roseman was willing to get "creative." But nothing has happened. The standstill continues and got more interesting on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the New England Patriots reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with veteran wide receiver Romeo Doubs, but that reportedly didn't fully close the door on a deal for Brown. While this is the case, it doesn't sound like there is much movement right now on the trade front, per Breer.