Eagles GM took advantage of Patriots in key area to get AJ Brown trade done

In the months building up to the Patriots' inevitably trading for receiver AJ Brown, it seemed pretty clear what it would take to get the Eagles to agree to a deal. NFL analysts harped on the idea that a first-round draft pick was the bare minimum, and although not all Patriots fans were on board, it was clear that getting a player like Brown was the cost.

The question then became whether that pick would be in 2027, which has already been deemed a high-quality class, or in 2028, the preference for most fans. It became the focus of all trade discussions, so it didn't take long for reactions to spill onto social media once it was announced.

It was unsurprising that New England sent a 2028 first-rounder in the deal, but what was unexpected was the addition of a 2027 fifth-round pick, something that not many analysts thought would be needed for the Eagles to send Brown to Foxboro.

But apparently, their well-known general manager, Howie Roseman, played hardball with Eliot Wolf and essentially forced them to include the extra pick if they wanted to get a trade done and quickly.

Howie Roseman made sure the Eagles got a better deal in the AJ Brown trade than the Patriots were expecting to give

That's according to Patriots' insider Greg Bedard, who spoke to 98.5 The Sports Hub not long after Brown was present for his first practice on Tuesday.

He revealed that Roseman "threatened to delay the timing" of the trade if Wolf refused to include the fifth-rounder, and because the Patriots wanted to get the deal done, they folded to the GM's demands.

Given how talented Brown is and how much the Patriots' offense needs a player of his caliber, it makes sense, to a degree, that the Eagles would want more out of the trade than a draft pick in two years. That's something that benefited the Patriots more, so Roseman would want some sort of immediate payoff on their end, too.

At the same time, it seems a bit extreme to threaten the team willing to take on the aging receiver that you have toyed with trading for the last two years, especially when insiders have reported multiple times that the Patriots were the only team seriously involved in getting a trade done.

That's a risky move for Roseman, but apparently, he was willing to take it, and fortunately for Philadelphia, it worked.

For the Patriots, it might not have been ideal to include another draft pick, but it's better to throw in a mid-rounder rather than something higher up, especially at this point in their rebuild or retool, whichever applies more.

No matter what, whether this means the Eagles fleeced the Patriots or it doesn't mean anything, the Patriots still got the receiver they have had their eye on for a long time, and Vrabel finally reunites with the player he never wanted traded from the Titans four years ago.

The ends will justify the means, even if some fans aren't too thrilled about the added draft capital added to the deal right now.

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