NFL insider tells Patriots to do one thing to successfully trade for AJ Brown

Three days into the legal tampering period and just hours before free agency officially begins, the Patriots are still the most discussed team in connection to AJ Brown. The problem is that there is no certainty that the Eagles are willing to trade the receiver.

However, the biggest hurdle for the Patriots might not be the price tag and whether Philadelphia is willing to accept their offer. It might be more about the timing of the trade, and that explains why they're dragging their feet more this offseason.

That's what NFL insider Jonathan Jones has suggested as the Patriots continue making free-agent moves, particularly after signing receiver Romeo Doubs.

That doesn't rule out trading for Brown, but Jones believes those talks could pick up closer to June 1, when the Eagles would lose less money to dead cap in trading away Brown.

Patriots fans shouldn't be discouraged if an AJ Brown trade doesn't happen before next month's draft

For the most part, everything comes down to timing and money in the NFL, and this situation regarding Brown's trade is likely applicable in both ways.

The Eagles have no incentive to move Brown now, just as Jones said, for a few reasons, mainly the loss of significant cap space. That actually gives them more reason to hold off on moving him to any team until the summer, and that's likely when the Patriots will have a better shot at getting a deal done.

Although that's not ideal timing for them, the result would outweigh what it took to get there, since they would officially have Brown on their roster for Drake Maye to work with.

And let's be real here. Patriots fans have wanted Brown on the team since he entered the 2019 NFL Draft, and they saw Bill Belichick select N'Keal Harry instead. If a few more months are the only thing standing in the way of getting him on the roster finally, we can handle it, especially knowing the tremendous impact he will make on the offense.