The rumors flying about the Patriots inevitably trading for wide receiver AJ Brown have reached a point where it appears there's no end in sight, especially since it's beyond clear that the Eagles won't agree to anything until June 1 or later.
Despite that, NFL insiders and New England fans continue to discuss the likelihood of Brown finally making his way to Foxboro, and now even the receiver himself is joining in on the conversation.
He started a fire during his appearance on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski's podcast" Dudes on Dudes" recently, winking when Edelman suggested they were "all Patriots," as the infamous saying goes. But Brown has taken that to a new level by training with one of the team's latest free agency signings, Kevin Byard III, and those photos were posted on social media.
That almost immediately gained traction in Patriot Nation, and now conspiracy theories are flying about what this could mean, if anything at all.
AJ Brown sparks new rumors about his potential trade to the Patriots this offseason
As if the connection to New England wasn't considered strong enough over the past few weeks, seeing Brown join Byard to work out early in the offseason has surely convinced fans across the league that it's only a matter of time before it's announced.
The problem is that the Eagles won't trade Brown until they're not on the hook for over $47 million in dead cap, so nothing can be made official until after June 1. Trades cannot be treated like releases with a post-June 1 processing, so unfortunately, a deal will have to wait.
But these new photos have many believing the Eagles and Patriots already have an unofficial agreement in place, and that's why Brown is already working out with New England players.
Whether that's true or not won't be known until the Eagles eventually announce a trade has been made, or the contrary. It doesn't seem like a coincidence, however, that these photos were posted online when they were, unless it's really just the ultimate troll job by the veteran duo.
Hopefully, for the sanity of Eagles and Patriots fans alike, that is not the case, and this trade will eventually get done so we won't have to hear about it anymore. That's the best-case scenario for New England fans, but not necessarily for Philadelphia, which doesn't exactly want to see Brown go.
However, at this point, the rumors are becoming tiresome, and it's clear Brown wants to be on the Patriots after being devastated that they drafted N'Keal Harry over him in 2019. It's time for the team to right a former wrong and just get it done this offseason.