The Patriots have had a very long history of success at wide receiver. It started with Irving Fryar in the 80s, then Terry Glenn and Troy Brown in the 2000s. In the 2010s, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, and Wes Welker stepped up, just to name a few. But now in the 2020s, it hasn’t been the same. Until last season.
New signee Stefon Diggs broke the 1000-yard receiving mark, which no New England receiver had achieved since 2019. Unfortunately, the Patriots chose to cut Diggs to save cap space. However, there is a WR in Philadelphia who might be an answer to the Patriots’ calls, and his name is AJ Brown.
The Good
AJ Brown is one of the best WRs in the league right now. For the past 4 years, AJ Brown has posted back-to-back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard+ seasons. Brown already has experience playing under Head Coach Mike Vrabel, who drafted Brown back when he was on the Titans. In fact, Brown put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years with Vrabel.
It also helps that he has been a Patriots fan for his whole life. During draft night, when he wasn’t taken, AJ Brown was spotted crying, realizing he wouldn’t be drafted by his dream team.
The Bad
AJ Brown does come with some baggage, as he’s been making headlines for his “diva” behavior. Most notably, he began publicly complaining about the state of Philadelphia’s offense this season. Also, AJ Brown’s last game with the Eagles was filled with drops, as he failed to reel in two huge third-down passes.
https://twitter.com/JimbosJunkbox/status/2010485502210613354?s=20
Current State
If the Eagles do trade AJ Brown, it won’t be until after June 1st. If the Eagles trade him before, it will be more than a $40 million hit in dead cap space, whereas it’s under $40 million if they wait.
There have been plenty of rumors swirling about Brown coming to Foxboro, but nothing is set in stone yet. Any Patriots fan can tell you this wouldn’t be the first time they almost got a star receiver. Look no further than Julio Jones in 2021, DeAndre Hopkins in 2023, Calvin Ridley in 2024, and Chris Godwin last year.
Nobody can predict the future, especially regarding trades. A lot can happen between now and June, but one thing is for sure: NFL fans everywhere will be watching to see if the defending AFC champions find their new superstar receiver.
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