A.J. Brown's Updated Trade Landing Spots After Romeo Doubs' Reported Patriots Contract

The New England Patriots are making a sizable investment in their receiving corps, though it may not take them out of the market for Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Monday the reigning AFC champions agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal with Romeo Doubs.

However, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported before that the Pats hadn't given up their pursuit of Brown and want to add a true No. 1 receiver.

The Eagles continue to hold firm, so the three-time Pro Bowler may remain in Philly by the time the regular season is kicking off. Should he wind up elsewhere, these three teams make sense.

New England Patriots

AP Photo/Mark Stockwell

Doubs hasn't produced like a No. 1 wideout to this point. His 724 receiving yards in 2025 are his career high.

The 25-year-old isn't being paid like a No. 1 option, either, considering the Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins and Eagles' DeVonta Smith are earning more annually as the secondary targets in their offenses.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted New England's interest in Brown along with the fact that Doubs' arrival leaves the team with less money to spend:

Still, Karen Guregian of MassLive isn't eliminating the possibility:

The Patriots had $40 million to spend before the negotiating period opened, and that figure doesn't take the savings from Stefon Diggs' impending release into account.

Maybe New England believes Doubs is an undervalued asset who will improve with a change of scenery, or it possesses supreme confidence in Kayshon Boutte. Absent that, the passing game could use one more big piece, and now is the time to be aggressive with franchise quarterback Drake Maye on his rookie deal.

Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

The Kansas City Chiefs were one of four teams The MMQB's Albert Breer reported are on Brown's preferred list of landing spots. The Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers were the other three.

Brady Henderson of ESPN reported the Chiefs are signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to a three-year, $43.1 million contract.

That eats up a lot of the cap space Kansas City had prior to free agency. This also could also signal a shift in Andy Reid's offensive priorities. The Chiefs aren't going to rank 25th in rushing attempts again.

Still, the franchise has big expectations for 2026; otherwise, bringing star tight end Travis Kelce back for another year makes less sense.

Acquiring Brown would be tricky financially, but general manager Brett Veach has the assets to make it happen after trading away cornerback Trent McDuffie netted an extra first-round pick.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Ian Maule

The Las Vegas Raiders were almost $120 million under the cap before free agency, and they've acted like it. They've spent big to accelerate their rebuild.

While Las Vegas isn't immediately the favorite to win the AFC West, it may have been premature to assume the team will be near the bottom of the league standings once again.

At the very least, general manager John Spytek is trying to put a solid foundation in place ahead of the 2026 NFL draft, when the Raiders are widely expected to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall. Having a good supporting cast is critical toward the development of a young QB.

Mendoza would benefit from having a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver, too.

Spytek will have the Baltimore Ravens' 2026 and 2027 first-rounders at his disposal once the Maxx Crosby trade is finalized. He can flip one or both of those picks for a star veteran such as Brown and maintain the ability to build through the draft this spring.