The Eagles are trading wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a first-round draft pick in 2028 and a 2027 fifth-round pick that is the better of New England's selections in that round of next year's draft.
By waiting until June 1, the Eagles can now split Brown's $40 million salary cap charge between 2026 and 2027.
The trade, which has been discussed and anticipated across the NFL for months, reunites Brown and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
As ESPN.com's Adam Schefter notes, New England was one of Brown's preferred destinations, in part because of Vrabel.
Brown played for Vrabel with the Titans from 2019 to 2021, and the two have maintained a connection beyond football, according to Vrabel.
What the Patriots Get
Brown, who turns 29 on June 30, gives Patriots quarterback Drake Maye a No. 1 target as part of a revamped top of the receiver depth chart alongside free agent signing Romeo Doubs.
Since entering the league as a second-round selection of the Titans in 2019, Brown is fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards (8,029) and touchdown catches (56). Brown and Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's only two players with at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven-plus touchdown catches in each of the past four seasons.
Brown left his mark in Philadelphia, where he has the two highest single-season receiving-yard totals in franchise history: 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1,456 in 2023.
Even though his frustration with the Eagles' offense grew the past two seasons, the production remained strong.
Brown pulled in 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 -- the fourth time he has eclipsed 1,000 yards in as many seasons since coming to Philadelphia.
And here's what matters to us: Brown finished the year as WR11 in total fantasy points and fantasy points per game.
While 2025 was a wild ride, and it often felt like the star receiver was falling short -- there were five games last year when he failed to catch a pass in the second half -- Brown didn't finish all that far from his WR10 Average Draft Position (ADP) last summer.
But it's totally reasonable to believe the Patriots will better -- or more fully utilize -- Brown, who opened as WR12 in our initial projections.
It's interesting to see Brown available as WR13 with a third-round price in our 2026 Average Draft Position (ADP) data.
According to ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, the addition of Brown reflects how the Patriots have aggressively reshaped their receiving corps since losing to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, a process that began with the release of leading receiver Stefon Diggs in March. Diggs totaled 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in his one season with the Patriots.
As Reiss explained, the 6-1, 226-pound Brown is more of a perimeter target than Diggs, while the Patriots view Doubs (6-2, 204) as an interchangeable receiver who can move around the formation.
Brown and Doubs top a depth chart that also includes veteran Mack Hollins, fourth-year players Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas, 2025 third-round pick Kyle Williams, and slot Efton Chism III.
Boutte has been skipping the team's voluntary workouts over the past month, with many speculating that the anticipated arrival of Brown is at least part of the reason.
For now, however, Brown and Doubs, who is currently WR49 with an 11th-round price, are the two fantasy prospects here to focus on in redraft.