Done Deal: How A.J. Brown Trade Impacts Patriots, Eagles Ahead of 2026 Season

New England has acquired a top target for Drake Maye, while Philadelphia gets a headache off its books.

A.J. Brown is officially headed to the Patriots. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Patriots have their top wide receiver.

After what felt like an endless back-and-forth, the Eagles finally traded star wide receiver A.J. Brown to New England in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Brown is entering his eighth professional season in 2026 and will do so on his third NFL team, reuniting with his first head coach. Originally selected by Mike Vrabel and the Titans in the second round of the 2019 draft, Brown quickly became a top-tier target in Tennessee before being traded to Philadelphia ahead of the 2022 season due to a disagreement on a contract extension. The 28-year-old has tallied 1,000-plus yards in six of his seven NFL campaigns, hauled in 56 touchdowns, helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl LIX victory in 2025 and has been named a second-team All-Pro twice and elected to three Pro Bowls.

Brown will reunite with Vrabel in New England, bringing his championship experience to Foxborough as the Patriots look to return to the big game in 2026. Here’s what the deal means for both teams moving forward. 

Patriots: Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels now have a true, coverage-dictating pass catcher to open up the offense.

A.J. Brown should help John McDaniels take the Patriots' offense to another level. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

New England made a surprise trip to the Super Bowl during the 2025 season behind an elite coaching job from Vrabel, an opportunistic defense and a brilliant effort from MVP runner-up Drake Maye. Last year, the 23-year-old signal-caller led the NFL in completion percentage (72.0%), passer rating (113.5), QBR (77.1) and yards per attempt (8.9) while throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions.

Surrounding Maye was a Patriots’ wide receiver room consisting of Kayshon Boutte, Efton Chism III, Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams. Did Diggs and Hollins provide a veteran presence? Sure. But when push came to shove, Maye was the one who ultimately elevated the offense throughout the season. When it came time for his pass catchers to return the favor in the Super Bowl, they—along with the offensive line—failed to rise to the occasion.

Diggs was released by the team at the start of the new league year before being due $6 million in guaranteed money and a cap hit set to escalate to over $26 million. The Patriots have since signed Romeo Doubs—a true three-level threat who’s a solid separator and a clutch playmaker—to a four-year deal, but Brown now brings a true coverage-dictating pass catcher to the mix. He’ll open up opportunities for Doubs and Williams (among the rest), while also giving Maye an experienced target in high-stakes situations.

Eagles: While still carrying quite a dead-cap hit, Philadelphia moves on from one of its more volatile personalities.

Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown have been at the center of some drama in Philadelphia over the past two seasons. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Trading Brown at this point in the calendar leaves the Eagles with a $16.4 million dead-cap hit on their 2026 books and $27.1 million more being pushed to '27. That said, it also sets them free from a player who brought on a fair share of off-field distractions.

Throughout 2025, Brown made it clear through some cryptic tweets, the reading of self-help books and pointed post-game comments that he wasn’t happy with his role in Philadelphia.

Now, both sides have a clean break.

A trade of Brown felt increasingly inevitable throughout the start of the 2026 offseason, and as such, the Eagles have done their part to stay ahead of the curve at wide receiver. Not only did Philadelphia sign veteran pass catchers Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore in free agency, but they also traded up in the first round of the draft to select rookie Makai Lemon out of USC. These three will join a room that already includes Darius Cooper, Britain Covey, Danny Gray, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Johnny Wilson. 

Smith is the star of the bunch, having notched three 1,000-plus-yard seasons while hauling in 31 touchdowns since being drafted by the Eagles in 2021, and will now become quarterback Jalen Hurts’s top target in a new-look offense led by coordinator Sean Mannion in his first season.

The Patriots and Eagles are set to conduct joint training camp practices in Foxborough next month. Needless to say, get your popcorn ready.

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