Eagles may have a quicker reunion with A.J. Brown than anyone expected if they choose to trade him to Patriots

A trade could still happen, and this update will only make it more interesting for Eagles fans.

Adam Holt — NFL News Writer
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The A.J. Brown saga has had plenty of ebbs and flows so far this offseason. At points, it has felt like he is staying with the Philadelphia Eagles. Other times, it has felt like a post-June 1 trade is the more likely outcome for his future in the NFL.

The latest report on the Eagles’ prep for next season gave a spotlight to a possible unique situation coming down the pipeline for both Philly and the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

Eagles and Patriots planning potential joint practices

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who covers the Patriots, Philadelphia and New England have discussed practicing together some during the preseason. This is even more notable when you consider that a potential A.J. Brown trade would most likely land him with the Patriots.

“Vrabel and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni have had preliminary discussions about the possibility of having the teams practice together in the preseason — likely in Foxborough, according to a league source.

Part of that would be tied to the NFL granting the teams’ request to face each other in the preseason, which isn’t usually a major hurdle. If it happens, the atmosphere and competition at the newly named New Balance Practice Fields would be buzzing.” — Mike Reiss, ESPN

Latest on possible A.J. Brown trade possibility

The reports are far from conclusive when it comes to A.J. Brown’s future. The Eagles signed WR Elijah Moore, one of Brown’s best friends to a free agent deal recently, pointing to some positivity regarding his future with the Birds.

A trade is not imminent, even once the calendar turns over to June. That being said, it is nowhere near ruled out.

On the flip-side, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak thinks that the Eagles GM simply isn’t pushing a deal to occur because the current financial implications are stark when compared to them once it is later in the offseason. Additionally, the Jaylen Waddle trade helped their possible negotiations for a trade.

“How general manager Howie Roseman walked the line of an A.J. Brown trade. He kept his asking price high and kept the cap open by delaying Goedert’s void date, which centralized Brown in the WR trade market. Although no deal got done, the Broncos-Dolphins Jaylen Waddle trade certainly strengthened the Eagles’ case for getting a first-round pick for Brown (who is only a year older than Waddle),” Solak detailed.

Trading Brown after this year’s draft would then force Philly to receive 2027 compensation, which may actually be a positive in the long run. The class is expected to be stronger than the 2027 one, although it is still quite early to predict that in a major way.

Regardless, we will see what the Eagles do with their former Pro Bowl pass catcher. If he dealt to New England, Eagles players may not have to wait long to reunite with him on the field as the opponent.

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