Patriots fans have dreamed of a lot of things over the years, particularly in the post-Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, but there might be nothing higher on their wish list than adding one of the best wide receivers in the league to the roster. Although the Mike Vrabel regime accomplished that to a degree by signing Stefon Diggs, he's still not the player fans have had their eye on over the years.
The most desirable name of all remains AJ Brown, who has a connection to Vrabel from their time together in Tennessee. When the now-Patriots head coach was the coach for the Titans, he was against trading Brown to the Eagles, but was unfortunately overruled by higher-ups to get the deal done.
That has prompted him to keep the door open for pulling off a blockbuster trade for Brown if he were to become available, and he continues to hint at wanting off the Eagles with another social media post after their Week 4 win.
That has to reignite potential interest from New England, even if Philadelphia has turned down the conversation in recent months.
The Patriots need to make a call to the Eagles about AJ Brown's availability (again)
Despite having just won a Super Bowl over the Chiefs last season, Brown is still not happy with his position within the Eagles' offense. There is an argument to be made that he's throwing a fit, a common occurrence among wide receivers who're not given the ball often. However, he's far too talented a player not to be more involved in every game this season.
His latest frustration appears to be due to only recording two receptions on nine targets for seven yards in their Week 4 win over the Bucs. That brings his total for the season up to just 151 yards through four games, which is far behind his projected total at this stage in the season.
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If this continues, it's fair to assume that we will see even more social media posts from Brown until something changes, similarly to his online activity during their playoff run last season, when he was on the sideline more than being utilized in their games.
The Patriots should call the Eagles again to inquire about his availability, even if they have no interest in a trade. It wouldn't be easy to reach an agreement for either side, as it will be expensive to move the receiver out of Philadelphia. But Vrabel should continue to show interest in acquiring Brown, should he ever become available, this season or not.
He didn't shut down the idea of bringing Brown to New England, and based on how the receiving corps currently looks, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add Brown into the mix if that were possible.
At the very least, showing the Eagles that they are still sniffing around would be worth making the call, so if Brown is available for trade, they might be more inclined to call the Patriots first.