The New England Patriots have officially finalized a trade that was in the works for what felt like forever, bringing Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown to Foxborough for a package centered around a first-round pick in 2028 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 as they try to build around Drake Maye.
Brown is not leaving a rebuilding franchise in disarray like Myles Garrett did with the Cleveland Browns, as he was asking out of an Eagles team that was in the process of defending a Super Bowl ring. Luckily for Patriots fans, and Brown personally, he might not have to wait very long to show his old team what he can do.
Not only will the Patriots and Eagles participate in joint practices in the 2026 offseason, but they will also face off against one another for one of their three preseason games. The results may not count, but Brown will get the chance to exact some revenge against his old friends.
Patriots trade acquisition A.J. Brown will face Eagles in preseason after seismic move
Brown could either be the X-factor that puts New England over the top or a misfire that costs them a top pick. On one hand, Brown is coming off the worst year he has since his days with the Titans, and the fact that he was able to blow up the chemistry of a team that was defending their Super Bowl win might be concerning.
However, Brown is still one of the best vertical receivers in the league, and he brings an element to the New England offense that this team has lacked. With Maye establishing himself as one of the best vertical passers in the NFL last season, Brown could be the perfect type of player for Josh McDaniels to work with.
The Eagles, meanwhile, will need to hope that rookies Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers can stand on their heads and provide some sort of facsimilie that can equal Brown's production. That remains unlikely, and New England managed to add that impact player while keeping their first-round pick in the well-regarded 2027 NFL Draft.
Practices and preseason obviously won't decide who ends up being the winner of this trade, but if Brown starts dominating against the old teammates he left at the altar, a Patriots franchise that has spent the last few months getting lashed by the wider media could get back on the right track.
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