For months, almost every insider, fan, expert, and player in the National Football League have talked about A.J. Brown as if he's inevitably going to be traded. More specifically, the consensus seems to be that he'll be traded to the New England Patriots.
However, as we learned earlier in the offseason, no move is official until it's actually done. Maxx Crosby was expected to be a Raven until he wasn't, and no one can jump to conclusions until Brown officially arrives in Foxboro.
That's why Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes the Kansas City Chiefs could swoop right in and make a move for the disgruntled star. Any move will have to wait until after June 1, and that should give the Chiefs plenty of time to work out a deal.
"It sounds as if Brown could be on a new team by minicamp and that it'll probably be the New England Patriots," Knox wrote. "...While New England appears to be his most likely destination, it isn't the only receiver-needy team that should be interested."
The Chiefs could be positioning themselves to make a serious push for A.J. Brown
Most rumors suggest that Brown wants to be a Patriot as much as the Patriots want him. He has a close relationship with Mike Vrabel, his former coach with the Tennessee Titans, and Drake Maye still needs a true No. 1 wide receiver.
That doesn't mean the Eagles have to do Brown any favors. General manager Howie Roseman isn't one to make emotional decisions, and he's only going to consider moving his best pass catcher if he gets the right offer. The Chiefs might be desperate and more willing to give up a king's ransom for Brown, especially after not adding a single starting-caliber wide receiver to the mix in the offseason.
Given everything that has transpired this offseason, perhaps Roseman and the Eagles will want to send a message by not trading Brown to his preferred and most logical destination. The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini distraction won't go away any time soon, and Russini drew serious backlash for pushing this trade for weeks, so the optics might not be great.
At the end of the day, the Patriots should still be able to pivot and make other moves if they miss on him. Doubs stepped up when the Packers' other starters were hurt, and they could try to get their hands on Brandon Aiyuk, gamble on Tyreek Hill, or maybe welcome back Stefon Diggs.