The ongoing speculation about whether and when the Patriots will trade for wide receiver A.J. Brown continues into this month's draft, and there has been a lot of discussion about whether the Eagles would want to get a deal done sooner rather than later, despite the expected June 1 date.
It seems safe to say that no trade will be agreed to that includes this year's draft picks, which is good news for Patriots fans who didn't want to see the team give up any capital. To make it even better, Patriots insider Greg Bedard recently shared what he's heard about the team's alleged offer and what it would include.
Analysts have suggested that the Eagles' asking price of a first-round pick is slightly astronomical, yet given the recent wide receiver trades, it seems fair. The Patriots are not a team in a position to give up that kind of draft capital, however, and according to Bedard, they're not willing to, anyway.
He said as much during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston last week, and it might be the best update fans have heard in quite some time.
"There's been a lot of speculation—first and a second, first and a third. The Patriots, my understanding, is around second-round draft pick compensation."
Now whether the Eagles would accept that offer is another story.
The Patriots don't plan on giving up too much in a draft for A.J. Brown
Although next year's draft class is already projected to be vastly better than this year, so giving up high picks is probably more costly than it otherwise would be, there's no reason for the Patriots to send a first-rounder to the Eagles for Brown at this stage of his career.
He will certainly be a massive upgrade from what they have in the receiving corps and add an element to Drake Maye's game that he hasn't had so far, but he is also going to be 29 years old at the start of the 2026 season and is alleged to have lingering knee issues that may create some concern.
If he were five years younger with limited, if any, health concerns, a first-round pick would be far more justified. But that's not the situation he's in, and the Patriots should send that kind of capital to a different team for that kind of player instead.
The problem is whether the Eagles would accept anything less than a first-round pick. They have hinted at not wanting anything but that, so there's a chance they won't. That could limit Brown's market, though, and if they want to trade him, they'll have to lower their price.
That would be when the Patriots could get a deal done, if they want to. All signs point to Brown becoming the newest addition to the roster, but we'll just have to wait and see, and continue hearing the rumors go on and on until, probably, June.