The New England Patriots accomplished far more than anyone thought they would in the 2025 season, making it all the way to Super Bowl LX. Drake Maye took a major leap in his second year at the helm and was nearly awarded the league MVP award, proving that the Patriots are on the right path.
Unfortunately, while Maye was awesome all season long, the Patriots' offense simply didn't have enough juice to get them their seventh championship trophy. That's something Eliot Wolf will need to work on this offseason. Adding help on the offensive line is a given but the Patriots need to give Maye more weapons to work with as well.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report proposed a trade that would give Maye the help he needs. The proposed trade involved the Patriots sending three draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for wide receiver A.J. Brown. The picks getting sent over to Philly would be a 2026 first-rounder, a 2026 third-rounder, and a 2027 third-rounder.
Here's what Ballentine had to say on the trade proposal:
"It's no secret that A.J. Brown had an up-and-down year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had seven games in which he had fewer than 50 receiving yards and barely eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.
He didn't hesitate to air his frustrations with the offense either."
"... the Patriots have more resources to assemble the best offer for the Eagles receiver. With 11 draft picks and $54 million in cap space, New England could comfortably come up with a package that would put Brown in pass-heavy offense with ascending quarterback Drake Maye.
The move would put pressure on other AFC contenders to get aggressive to keep up with the Pats while shifting the Eagles offense in Philly."
Patriots linked to A.J. Brown trade to give Drake Maye major help
Ballentine mentioned that the Patriots and rival Bills could make a lot of sense for Brown, but ultimately, New England has more to be able to land the wideout. Some fans might question whether the drama Brown brings would be worth it, but it's no secret that Drake Maye needs more weapons, and Brown would give him a true one-on-one option.
Brown, a former second-round pick by the Titans in 2019, has played in the NFL for seven seasons (three in Tennessee, four in Philadelphia) and has gone over the 1,000-yard mark in all but one of those seasons. He also played for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee from 2019 until he was traded in the 2022 offseason. That connection could also work in the Patriots' favor.
If the goal is to build the best possible offense for Maye and give him all the tools he needs to succeed, there's no question that Brown makes sense as a possible trade target.
They'll have to determine whether the theatrics are worth the investment, but if there's a potential No. 1 wide receiver available who could make Maye a better quarterback, the Patriots shouldn't hesitate to go for it.
It's the kind of move that could help the Patriots right the ship and help them win a Super Bowl.