It's another offseason, and the Patriots are connected to wide receiver AJ Brown for the one-millionth time, and that has only heightened since Mike Vrabel became the head coach. Because rumors continue to circulate about Brown's possible trade, fans are getting worked up over the idea of him finally becoming a Patriot, but they're not exactly on board with most of the trade proposals that could get it done.
The latest comes from Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, listing the Patriots as one of the top landing spots for the receiver should the Eagles decide it's time to move on.
Given the up-and-down tenure he's had in Philadelphia since being traded by the Titans in 2022, it seems more than fair to speculate about whether the team will be done with his apparent antics and take the best offer they can for the 28-year-old.
Moton believes the Patriots could get a deal done for Brown by sending a 2026 third-round pick and CB Carlton Davis III, a much lighter deal than anyone has projected over the last two years. And although that's certainly beneficial for the Patriots, fans are not entertaining the idea.
Patriots fans are not interested in Bleacher Report's latest AJ Brown trade proposal
The mock trade was posted on Twitter for Patriots fans to consider, and the overwhelming negative response makes it clear that many would be good with having Brown on the team, but not at the cost of losing one of their starting cornerbacks.
It's not the most surprising response, especially considering how well the defense played at the end of the season and into the Super Bowl. But Davis's inconsistent production for most of the year makes the overwhelmingly negative response a bit shocking, as many have blamed him for some of the Patriots' weaker defensive showings throughout the 2025 season.
At the same time, there's a reason Davis was considered a top cornerback free agent last year and why the Patriots got him at the price that they did. He was a great pairing with Christian Gonzalez, and they proved that when the games mattered most, so losing that would be significant.
It wouldn't be easy to find a replacement that makes the secondary just as lethal as it was throughout the 2025 season, despite the immediate fix that Brown would bring for Drake Maye and the offense.
This kind of trade would address one major hole but create another, and the Patriots aren't in a position to do that after just being in the Super Bowl and can make the moves necessary to (hopefully) get back there again in 2026. Moving on from Davis would make that nearly impossible to replicate.
Making the entire situation even worse is the cap implications for both teams to trade these players, and that would presumably ensure neither player is moved.
If New England wants to get Brown on the roster, they'll have to figure out a different way to get it done, at least in the eyes of the fans, and they're probably not wrong on this one.