Patriots reportedly called Eagles to inquire about star wide receiver
The New England Patriots still need to add a true No. 1 wide receiver to pair with sophomore quarterback Drake Maye. With more than $127 million in available cap space (according to Over The Cap), the team certainly has the assets to be a big player in free agency beginning next Monday, March 12.
The rumor mill has already linked New England to multiple big-name receivers that they may target in the off-season: Tee Higgins via trade, Chris Godwin through free agency (although he may re-sign with the Buccaneers), and Davante Adams, who was recently released by the New York Jets, just to name a few.
Another name the Patriots reportedly looked into is Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown. Matthew Berry of NBC Sports said that the Patriots have recently called the Eagles inquiring about Brown:
“I’ve heard the Patriots WILL do whatever they can to get a real ‘WR1’ for Drake Maye and the new coaching staff. I heard they are knocking on all doors, seeing what they can possibly trade for, and one person told me they heard the Patriots called Philly asking if A.J. Brown was available. Shrug emoji on if that’s true, or what Philly’s answer was, but this much seems certain: New England will aggressively try to upgrade its wide receiver room this offseason.”
Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but may not be totally happy with his situation in Philly, even after a Super Bowl win. He famously read books on the Eagles’ during their playoff run — including during the Super Bowl — leading may to speculate he was disinterested.
Moreover, following the Super Bowl, Brown took to Instagram to discuss his subdued feelings about winning the Super Bowl:
“I’ve had time to reflect on being a champion. I tried to feel how everyone made it seem to be a champion and unfortunately it was short lived.. two days to be exact lol. I’ve never been a champion at the highest level before but I thought my hard work would be justified by winning it all. It wasn’t. My thrill for this game comes when I dominate. It’s the Hunt that does it for me. It’s when the DB drops his head and surrender because he can’t F with me. The Intense battles. Early mornings. Late nights. Sacrifices. I love putting smiles on peoples faces, don’t get me wrong but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s the journey that I love the most.”
So, it seems Brown doesn’t necessarily care about winning a Super Bowl, so much as being a dominant No. 1 receiver. That could actually be a good thing for the Patriots, who aren’t contending for a championship any time soon but could make Brown the focal point of their offense. The Pats have an obvious connection to Brown through head coach Mike Vrabel, whom Brown played for in Tennessee. The team may use their connection to persuade the receiver to request a trade to New England.
At the end of the day, making Brown a Patriot might be a difficult task. But if the reports are true and he wants out of Philadelphia and the Pats are diligently pursuing him, there are not many receivers in the league that could change an offense like he can.
Luke Graham is a digital sports content co-op for 98.5 the Sports Hub. He is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying communications and media studies. Read all his articles here, and follow him on X @LukeGraham05.
