The New England Patriots were never supposed to make it all the way to the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach, but their perseverance and mostly impressive performances throughout the regular season made that not only possible but also a reality. The problem is that their success was also accompanied by plenty of weaknesses, and that was on full display on Sunday against a dominant Seahawks' defense.
The inexperience of rookie offensive linemen, coupled with Drake Maye's inability to overcome early nerves, led to an offensive game plan that never had a chance to succeed. Wide receivers couldn't get open, the run game was never established, and Maye was given virtually no time to do much of anything.
That has prompted a lot of responses at the start of the week, with some already looking ahead to free agency and the kind of blockbuster trades the team could pursue to put their roster over the top and increase their chances of getting back to the Super Bowl.
The first to make such claims is former Patriots running back Damien Harris, who was quick to name-drop one player fans have had their eye on for years.
Damien Harris believes the Patriots should bring in a player like AJ Brown this offseason
In the immediate aftermath of the loss, Harris said the Patriots need to get "an alpha" on the offense and specifically named wide receiver AJ Brown.
He has been connected to New England for a few years now, and that connection was heightened when Vrabel was hired last offseason because of their time together in Tennessee. Given that Brown has had a roller coaster time with the Eagles, there's a good chance the Patriots could take advantage of his uncertain future in Philadelphia and give Drake Maye another solid weapon to work with next year.
"[The Patriots] need an alpha out there whose name is A.J. Brown."@DHx34 on what the Patriots need to improve before next season 👀 pic.twitter.com/pRzIdxlSj3
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 9, 2026
Now that it's official, they'll have the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It wouldn't be a bad selection to trade away for a player of Brown's caliber. The hesitancy to make a legitimate offer previously was because of their high draft position, but that's not going to be an issue this time around.
It will likely take more to get Philadelphia to agree to move on from their WR1, but his tenure has been far from smooth, and there is a good chance they'll be willing to trade him away and take advantage of the saved cap space.
We know that he and Vrabel have a good relationship, as the head coach never wanted to trade him in the first place, so it seems unlikely Brown would take issue with being traded, and we know he would immediately become the go-to receiver for Maye.
The main issue will be convincing the Eagles to move on, and whether the Patriots will want to spend that kind of draft capital on an aging player.