ESPN’s Adam Schefter maps out possible price Patriots must pay to acquire AJ Brown

"It’s not gonna be hard to get done. The Eagles are open to moving him, the Patriots want him."

AJ Brown continues to be linked to the Patriots. AP Photo/Terrance Williams

April 27, 2026

2 minutes to read

A.J. Brown is still on the Philadelphia Eagles roster at this stage of the NFL offseason.

But, there appears to be a strong likelihood that the All-Pro wideout will be playing for the Patriots in 2026 and beyond.

Last week, ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter reported that Brown is “likely to become a Patriot post June 1.”

“The Eagles remain open to trading AJ Brown, the Patriots remain highly interested in acquiring the star receiver, and conversations are expected to resume shortly on or before June 1, likely culminating in a deal, per league sources,” Schefter noted.

Even if a deal has already been agreed upon by the Patriots and Eagles for the 28-year-old receiver, it’s unclear what New England would have to give up to add such an established talent to their offense.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, Schefter gave his take on what draft capital the Patriots could part with in order to pair Drake Maye with a proven, No. 1 wideout.

Adam Schefter on AJ Brown and the Patriots:

1st round pick in 2028?

🎥: @PatMcAfeeShow

“The Patriots want AJ Brown and the Eagles are willing to move on from AJ Brown. I expect that this trade will come together on June 1…it’s not gonna be hard to get it done…I believe in… pic.twitter.com/CseLYkZfER
— Savage (@Savageboston) April 27, 2026

“I expect that this trade will come together on June 1st,” Schefter said. “Neither side is committed to it, but both, I believe, are expected to make it happen to where AJ Brown will wind up being traded to New England in June. It’s not gonna be hard to get done.

“The Eagles are open to moving him, the Patriots want him, and I believe in the end it will involve a future first-round draft pick. My guess is 2028 — one in 2028. But, let’s see what the two sides finally figure out in the end.”

It would not come as a surprise for the Patriots to have little appetite to move a 2027 first-round pick.

Beyond the expectation that the 2027 NFL Draft class will be chock full of elite prospects, the Patriots could potentially take a step back this season — due in large part to a daunting regular-season schedule.

Even if the 2026 Patriots are a better team than their 2025 counterpart, it seems unlikely that New England will win 14 regular-season games again.

Last week, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked if a trade with the Eagles had already been agreed upon.

“No. I mean, I think we are going to continue to try to strengthen our team,” Vrabel told reporters in Foxborough, including MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “The first focus is going to be on Thursday night and making sure that we get that right, and then we’ll focus on Friday.”