For almost the entire offseason, the rumor has been that the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots will make a trade sending wide receiver A.J. Brown to New England in June. So, it was a surprise when insider Mike Garafolo shared that the negotiations could extend into July.
While making an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Garafolo warned that negotiations are going to need to be “rebooted.” So, while Brown will still likely be traded to the Patriots, the timeline is up in the air.
“It’s going to have to be rebooted, and it’s going to have to get done,” Garafolo said. “It doesn’t have to happen on June 1st or 2nd. It can happen in the middle of July, right before training camp.”
The Brown trade has been delayed until at least June because of salary cap implications for the Eagles. That has led to an initial hold-up on getting a deal done.
On top of that, there is a lot of debate and moving parts regarding the actual return the Patriots send to the Eagles for Brown. It could be a first-round pick, but is that a 2027 or 2028 pick? Is that all the Patriots send? Is there a different combination of picks, or even sending a player like Kayshon Boutte, that could change the deal?
This is all up in the air. The Eagles also would likely want to find another suitor to drive up the price on Brown. So, for now, the trade is still in Limbo.
Teams Besides the New England Patriots Could Try to Land A.J. Brown
GettyWide Receiver A.J. Brown
The longer the time goes on, the more opportunities there will be for a surprise team to join the discussions with the Philadelphia Eagles for A.J. Brown. That’s obviously an issue for the New England Patriots, who could either lose out on the player or have to pay a higher premium.
Jeff Kerr of Sports Illustrated, who is considered an Eagles insider, came up with a list of a few teams that could also be interested in Brown. That includes the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Kansas City Chiefs, the and Baltimore Ravens.
Importantly, Kerr is not reporting that these teams have an interest in Brown. He’s reporting that they could make sense for Brown.
On top of that, one issue Kerr forgot to address is the salary cap. The Jaguars, for instance, only have a little over $10 million available. The Chiefs have less than $7 million available. Meanwhile, the Ravens have a little more, at around $18 million.
For his part, Brown is going to come with about a $23 million cap hit, which is part of what is limiting his market. The Patriots have the flexibility to land him, in a way, other teams who make sense from a roster construction standpoint don’t. More than $36 million in available cap space will do that.
A.J. Brown is Reportedly Looking for Homes in Boston
GettyPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown
As of a couple of weeks ago, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared, “I think he knows where his future is headed at this moment,” when asked about A.J. Brown. He’d go on to add that it was a matter of time for the Patriots and Eagles to come together to make a deal.
Shortly after that, Jim Murray of 98.5 The Sports Hub added another report. Brown has been speaking to condo management in the Seaport neighborhood of Boston.
“Per Source: AJ Brown will be speaking with management at one of the big, fancy condo developments in the Seaport this week regarding residency,” Murray wrote. “I was asked to omit which specific one.”
All of that has to make Patriots fans feel a certain amount of confidence. It seems like the Patriots and Eagles are likely to make the trade for Brown, it’s just a matter of when.
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