Latest free agency intel suggests Patriots aren’t finished with A.J. Brown despite agreeing to a big deal with Romeo Doubs
The story’s not over yet.
One of the New England Patriots’ top priorities in each of the last two offseasons has been to make serious upgrades at wide receiver.
They tried to coax Chris Godwin Jr. into coming last year with a mega-contract before signing Stefon Diggs. This year, they just landed Romeo Doubs on a four-year, $68 million deal worth up to $80 million max on top of multiple links to Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown.
The Patriots believe Doubs is an ascending player and the money proves just as much. As a result, he’s expected to be the guy in the passing game and when considering the post-June 1 situation with Brown’s contract, it basically removes the three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ from the equation, right?
That would be a hard “no”, apparently, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
“From what I’m told, the Doubs signing does not end their interest for A.J. Brown,” Wolfe said Wednesday on NFL Network’s Free Agency Frenzy. “It certainly changes it, they’re not desperate for a wide receiver anymore. They’re not hungry. Maybe it changes leverage, but don’t rule this out. This is a conversation we’ll talk about later in the offseason when it becomes a little more advantageous for Philly.
“After June 1, it goes from a potential losing $20 million on their cap if they trade A.J. Brown to gaining $7 million on their cap if they trade him. So, just keep an eye on that. The Patriots still love him, they’re just not as needy now that Romeo Doubs is in the background.”
A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs would immediately become at top-5 WR duo
Good lord, talk about building around Drake Maye.
The third-year signal-caller would immediately have a top-5 WR duo at his disposal and it’s a duo that can stress defenses out at a high level. Doubs will fill Diggs’ role last year as the short-to-intermediate threat who wins with route running and separation, but he’s more explosive than Diggs. Brown, obviously the is the physical, 50/50 deep threat who can also make plays in the short-to-intermediate areas.
Dobbs has shown an ability to make plays on passes of 20+ air yards, himself, catching 25 of such throws for 538 yards and five touchdowns over the course of his career, per Pro Football Focus. He’s caught at least one touchdown of 20+ air yards in each of his four seasons.
It makes sense for the Patriots to keep interest in Brown, as Maye is on the ever-so-invaluable rookie contract that allows teams to go nuts spending-wise if the quarterback is performing like Maye is. This is definitely one to bookmark and keep tabs on over the coming weeks and months.
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