A potential trade idea for the New England Patriots proposes a way to land a league leading wide receiver to provide some help for quarterback Drake Maye.
- Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown (11) reacts against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The New England Patriots (2-2) have a clear need for help at the wide receiver position.
Key wide receiver Stefon Diggs was signed back in March to give quarterback Drake Maye a clear-cut No. 1 targeting option. And while Diggs may be coming off his best performance from Week 4’s play against the Carolina Panthers, he’s also still recovering from last year’s season-ending ACL injury and adjusting to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ scheme.
Diggs caught for 101 yards across six receptions against the Panthers, but postgame told the media that his comfortability level with the offense was a “five out of 10.” He has since said his comment was meant in a sarcastic manner.
Regardless, a need for help at the wide receiver position has caused a spike in potential trade suggestions across the media. One of them sees AJ Brown potentially landing in New England from the Philadelphia Eagles.
The idea sees the Patriots giving up a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round draft pick in exchange for Brown’s talents.
Reasoning behind the trade is simple — the Pats do not have a single pass-catcher on the roster with 20 or more receptions on the season, as of presstime.
While Diggs primarily plays in the slot, Brown is often playing on the outside. With the Eagles, Brown is off to a slow start and has only logged 151 receiving yards and one touchdown catch after four games into the year, but he still leads Philadelphia in targets and owns the second-most receiving yards on the team.
- Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ. Brown (11) reacts after a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Brown was drafted as the No. 51 overall pick back in 2019 by the Tennessee Titans following his college football days at Ole Miss. He was traded to the Eagles in 2022 in exchange for the then-18th and 101st overall picks of the draft.
Brown and Philadelphia have since agreed on a three-year, $96 million extension back in April of 2024, making Brown the highest-paid receiver in the league at the time.
On his career so far, the 6’1″, 226-pound receiver has caught for 7,177 yards in addition to 50 touchdowns across 460 receptions (on 723 targets). Six of his seasons have seen him tally over 850 yards.
An addition of Brown in the Pats’ receiving corps would provide Maye with another solid WR1 option and could only make New England more of an offensive threat.
