Eagles set high trade price for A.J. Brown amid Patriots interest

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Eagles set high trade price for A.J. Brown amid Patriots interest

Mark Daniels · MassLive

Wed, Mar 4, 2026 ·

3 min read

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If the Patriots want to acquire A.J. Brown , it’s going to cost them.

According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Philadelphia Eagles have a high asking price for their Pro Bowl receiver . On Tuesday, Garafolo reported that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is looking for a “Quinnen Williams-type deal” in exchange for Brown.

That references the New York Jets trading away their star defensive tackle last season, receiving a future first-round pick, a second-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith from Dallas in return.

For the Eagles, part of their rationale is due to their salary cap.

Brown is signed with Philadelphia through the 2029 season. If he were traded this offseason, before June, the Eagles would be hit with over $43 million in dead money on their cap. The dead money hit for 2027 would also be just over $27 million.

From Roseman’s standpoint, if another team really wants Brown and it puts the Eagles in a tough financial situation, then another team is going to have to pay a high price.

Another option for Philadelphia is to wait for the summer. A post-June 1 trade with Brown lightens the dead money significantly for the Eagles. In this scenario, Philadelphia has $16.3 million in dead money but saves $7 million off the cap.

In that situation, however, the Eagles wouldn’t be getting draft picks from the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

If Philadelphia wants more picks this year, they would need to find a trade partner willing to meet their demands.

Sources told MassLive at the NFL Combine that the Patriots had interest in trading for Brown. The three-time Pro Bowler was drafted in Tennessee when Mike Vrabel was the head coach. Brown played for Vrabel for three seasons before the Titans traded him to Philadelphia.

The receiver and coach still have a good relationship. Vrabel spoke about that at the Combine last week.

“It’s meant – I think the relationship with players, and specifically, you asked about A.J. It has meant a lot,” Vrabel said. “I’ve watched him grow. I’ve watched him mature. I’m proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I’m proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important.

“We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don’t go so well for the people that you’re close with, and you text for those as well. It’s a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today.”

The Patriots view Brown as someone who would upgrade their receiver room. Although there is a concern about the health of his knees (he had surgery on both in 2021), the team believes Brown would be a good fit with Drake Maye .

Are they willing to meet the Eagles’ high trade demands?

That remains to be seen.

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