We’re nearing the one week mark of A.J. Brown officially becoming a member of the New England Patriots, and the reaction to the team’s all-in move fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl has been all over the map.
Patriots fans just want to celebrate adding their first true dominant boundary wideout since Randy Moss, but as usual the masses just can't help but attempt to rain on New England's parade.
There’s been plenty of chatter about Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles winning the deal, squeezing a Patriots organization that’s been desperate for some positive press. Brown’s been typecast as a diva receiver who wasn’t worth the 2028 first-round pick the Patriots gave up, never mind an additional fifth-rounder next year.
Leave it to Jon Gruden of all people to subtly mock all of that nonsense and provide a take that’s grounded in reality.
Gruden’s take? Adding a proven veteran wide receiver like Brown at his exact age range of 28 going on 29 is an NFL coach's dream.
“It’s hard to argue with Howie Roseman. Everything he does is the ‘best thing ever’ for the Eagles,” Gruden quipped. “But they get a first-round pick. They get rid of a big contract. And they had a heckuva draft. They got a great, young receiver in the first round, don’t forget, from USC.
“But I used to love, when I was coaching, to get a veteran receiver. I remember when we signed Irving Fryar in Philadelphia. I remember signing Jerry Rice when I was with the Raiders. Keenan McCardell helped us win a Super Bowl in Tampa. I even tried to trade for Antonio Brown… well, it doesn’t always work out.
“But Stefon Diggs — he went from Minnesota to Buffalo, played great. Tyreek (Hill) — he went from Kansas City to Miami and played great. Davante Adams — left Green Bay, went to the Raiders and had some big seasons. These 29-year-old receivers? They can still play big-time. I love the fit, because New England’s got a quarterback, and they’ve got a great offensive coordinator. I expect A.J. Brown to play great for New England. I think it’s a trade that helps both teams.”
Jon Gruden just became an unlikely voice of reason for Patriots fans
The bulk of the commentary coming out of Philadelphia right now is that Brown has lost a step. Longtime Eagles beat writer Jeff McLane reported that the Patriots originally felt a third-round pick was fair compensation. Patriots reporter Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, on 98.5 The Sports Hub, said it was actually a second-round grade, and that the team felt a future first in two years, along with a fifth-round sweetener, was fair enough value.
At the end of the day, a negotiation took place, and the two sides met somewhere in the middle. The Eagles definitely scored about as good of a return that Roseman could have bargained for, likely taking advantage of Mike Vrabel’s obvious motivation to get Brown to New England.
But was this some type of egregious overpay? Not even close.
The Patriots gave up a little extra on the capital side, while in turn sending their offensive skill position group to another stratosphere on paper. Eagles fans, meanwhile, are free to celebrate addition by subtraction and their added draft capital all they want. Their offense undeniably got worse in 2026 following this deal.
The piece of Gruden’s commentary that Patriots fans should file away is his last line: “I think it’s a trade that helps both teams.” That may be true in 2029, but not as of June 2026.
The Eagles’ new-look receiving crops will feature Devonta Smith, rookie Makai Lemon, and former Green Bay Packers reserve Dontayvion Wicks as their new “Big 3,” with a 31-year-old Dallas Goedert at tight end. They have a long way to go before they can seriously start celebrating a win in this trade.
Unless Brown struggles with injuries, which he's largely avoided throughout his seven years in the league outside of some hamstring issues, Eagles fans won't have much to brag about until a draft that's literally two full training camps, regular seasons, and playoff runs away.
Sometimes an elite player just needs a change of scenery. Brown looked like a little kid on Christmas morning meeting Drake Maye and taking the practice field as a Patriot this past week — during a voluntary spring workout in early June.
How’s it going to look when the lights officially go on inside Gillette Stadium this fall? The guess here is electric. Why that has to be some kind of contrarian take while Brown is clearly healthy, happy, and motivated is puzzling at best.
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