It’s no secret that Patriots fans have long wanted a top-name receiver on the roster for many years now, and one of the top names that continues to be in the conversation is AJ Brown, which has only heightened since Mike Vrabel became the head coach earlier this year.

Because of their connection from Tennessee, many believe the likelihood of Brown being acquired is the highest it has ever been, which might be a fair assumption considering Vrabel didn’t shut down the idea of a trade when asked about it ahead of free agency. But the Eagles have made it clear they’re not willing to move on from the receiver any time soon, regardless of how much Brown airs his frustrations out on social media throughout the season.

That has led to a lot of discussion about the possibility of Philadelphia eventually trading him away for high draft capital, and NFL insiders discussed the matter again recently, intriguing Patriots fans once again.

Jeremy Fowler shared what he’s been hearing about it with ESPN this week, shutting down the possibility of Brown being moved ahead of the trade deadline due to his massive dead cap hit. However, he didn’t rule out the idea of a trade happening next offseason, which is music to the Patriots’ ears.

There is a chance the Patriots could get a trade done for AJ Brown in 2026

If the Patriots want to pull off a blockbuster trade for a clear WR1 like Brown, Fowler believes they’ll have to be patient. He reveals that executives he spoke to think he could be traded next year when his dead cap would drop drastically to $49.5 million, which is still an egregious amount to take on, so it would require a lot of maneuvering to get a deal done.

However, the Patriots might have their chance to accomplish that if the Eagles grow tired of Brown’s antics, and he could finally reunite with the head coach who never wanted him traded out of Tennessee in the first place.

“First, to get this out of the way: Brown’s contract comes with a dead cap hit of nearly $90 million. That’s tough to trade, even for an aggressive front office such as Philadelphia — though not impossible if designated as a post-June 1 trade.

Some execs I spoke to this week don’t expect Philadelphia to trade Brown in-season but said that it could be something to entertain in the offseason. It’s sort of the worst-kept secret inside the league that Brown’s love-hate relationship with Philly’s passing game bubbles to the surface from time to time. He’s a true competitor and wants to be great. With that comes emotion and inevitable frustration.”

While that’s not exactly the optimistic news that Patriots fans will want to hear, it is far from a complete shutdown of Brown being traded. It would require a hefty trade package to accomplish, but if the Patriots want to add a true dominant wideout for Drake Maye to work with, this might be their only opportunity to do so.

Stefon Diggs is proving to be exactly what they needed, but if they want more firepower, their options are extremely limited in next year’s free agency. Additionally, any trade target of interest that would be the caliber of player they’d want and need was recently traded or received a new contract, so it’s very unlikely they would be available anytime soon.

So if Brown becomes available, he’s the immediate frontrunner, and the Patriots should go all-in to get him in the door. That could be an absolute nightmare for the NFL, who are likely happy that the Patriots have fallen into obscurity over the last five years, and their competition, who have thrived in the wake of Tom Brady’s absence in the AFC.