Patriots Could Trade For Disgruntled Eagles WR

The New England Patriots are facing off against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, but there is always someone looking towards the future when it comes to the team.

Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine already has his sights on the offseason, where he suggested that the Patriots should trade for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. The Patriots would send a 2026 first-round pick, third-round pick and 2027 third-round pick for Brown.

"It's no secret that A.J. Brown had an up-and-down year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had seven games in which he had fewer than 50 receiving yards and barely eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark," Ballentine wrote.

"All of that drama could lead to a trade, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that league executives believe the Eagles could be looking to move Brown this offseason. If so, there are plenty of teams that should be interested. Two of the most prominent ones are AFC East rivals in the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. Both are contenders who could use Brown as their WR1.

"That arms race could be a major offseason through line, but the Patriots have more resources to assemble the best offer for the Eagles receiver. With 11 draft picks and $54 million in cap space, New England could comfortably come up with a package that would put Brown in pass-heavy offense with ascending quarterback Drake Maye."

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown can't make catch during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Brown Could Become Maye's Top Prospect

The pressure and tension between Brown and the rest of the Eagles' offense came to a head in the wild card round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. That very well could have been Brown's last game with the Eagles.

Brown led the Eagles to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, so he is definitely a game changer and still has some of his prime left at the age of 28. He could play well next to Stefon Diggs and form one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL, similar to how Brown worked with Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith with the Eagles.

The Patriots first need to figure out how far the team can go in this playoff race. If they win the Super Bowl, it might not make sense to make a trade. However, if they fall short in one of these next few games, this could be the help they need to get to where they want to be.

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