Grading A.J. Brown Blockbuster NFL Trade Between Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots

It's only June, which isn't exactly the busiest month of the NFL calendar. But the first day of the month was a whopper.

First came the blockbuster trade that sent reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams. But the offensive side of the ball wasn't about to be left out.

There has been speculation for months that the Philadelphia Eagles were going to trade disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown after June 1. Much of that speculation centered on the New England Patriots, where he would be reunited with former head coach Mike Vrabel.

Sure enough, the trade came to pass only moments after the 4 PM deadline that would afford the Eagles flexibility with his dead cap hit—per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brown was traded to New England for a 2028 first-rounder and the higher of New England's two fifth-rounders in 2027.

For the Eagles, it ends months of drama surrounding Brown. For the Patriots, it's a splash acquisition of a "go-to" wideout the team's offense lacked.

Let's grade the trade for all parties involved—including Brown himself.

New England Patriots

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Patriots QB Drake Maye

Grade: A-

Well, if there was any question that the New England Patriots were pushing their chips to the center of the table, it's settled now. Granted, the Pats didn't go Los Angeles Rams-style bonkers this offseason, but this is still an aggressive move.

The Patriots had a 1,000-yard receiver last year in Stefon Diggs, but at this point in his career Diggs isn't a true "alpha" wideout. The foundation for a team's passing attack.

Brown is—or at least can be.

For the sixth time in his seven-year career last year, Brown surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, bringing in 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven scores. It was admittedly the second-lowest yardage total of his career, and Brown averaged just 12.9 yards per catch—a career-low. He has also missed six games over the past two years. But as recently as 2023, the 28-year-old topped 100 catches and 1,400 receiving yards in Philly.

There was no way the Pats were getting Brown for less than a first. The team was able to punt that first-rounder to 2028, and the fifth-rounder is a throw-in. It's a reasonable cost for a No. 1 wide receiver.

Now, the Patriots will ostensibly roll out Brown and youngster Kayshon Boutte (who was speculated to be part of this deal more than once) on the perimeter with free agent Romeo Doubs manning the slot. Combined with veteran tight end Hunter Henry and the two-headed backfield of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, Drake Maye has no shortage of weapons around him.

It's Super Bowl win or bust in Beantown.

Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts with Brown

Grade: B-

This is a trade that has appeared inevitable for months.

Whatever the reason, it became evident as the 2025 season progressed that A.J. Brown wanted out of Philadelphia despite winning a Super Bowl with the team. There has long been talk that Brown and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't get along. Apparently upset about his role in the Eagles offense last year, Brown called his 2025 season a "s**tshow" and urged fantasy managers to move on from him while on a streaming appearance.

"Family's good," Brown said. Everything else? No. It's a s***show. You on some 'How you been?' I've been struggling brother. If you got me on fantasy (football) man, get rid of me."

If there was any doubt that a divorce was coming, when the Eagles traded up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the 2026 draft, it was settled. It was just a matter of who and when.

The "when" was a financial decision—the Eagles will eat a $43.5 million dead cap hit for dealing Brown, but now it can be spread over two years. The "who" was just getting the best deal available from a team Brown was willing to play for.

Having to wait until 2028 to get a first-rounder isn't ideal. The Eagles have a hole in the wideout corps now even with Lemon in town—Philadelphia's top two wideouts (Lemon and DeVonta Smith) are both undersized.

But the Eagles eliminated much of the drama from the locker room and added a first-round pick.

It's not Howie Roseman's best work. But it's not his worst either.

A.J. Brown

AP Photo

Grade: A-

This is (another) career crossroads for Brown.

Brown's numbers speak for themselves. He's a three-time Pro Bowler. He has posted six 1,000-yard seasons in seven professional seasons. Brown has averaged over 15 yards per reception for his career and averaged eight touchdowns per season.

At his best, Brown is a top-10 NFL wide receiver. Some might argue top-five.

But this is also the second team that Brown has worn out his welcome after his tenure with the Tennessee Titans ended in similar fashion. Yes, wide receiver is a position with a reputation for being, um, mercurial, but at some point the headaches outweigh the numbers.

With that said, Brown should be happy now, at least in the short-term. Brown will be the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver in New England. He should be peppered with targets in 2026. And while Brown's time in Nashville had a bumpy ending, then-Titans head coach Mike Vrabel told The Rich Eisen Show just before Brown was dealt to Philly that he had no issues with the wideout.

"I love A.J. professionally, personally," he said. "I've gotten to know him well as his coach and enjoy seeing him as much as I possibly can. I saw him in here working out earlier. I said hi. As long as I'm the coach here, I would want to have A.J. Brown on my football team."

That respect appears to have carried over to New England. Getting traded from a Super Bowl contender to the defending AFC champions is about as soft as landings get—Brown couldn't ask for a better place to get his career back on track—again.