Trade rumors have long been swirlingaroundPhiladelphia Eagleswide receiverA.J. Brown, and theNew England Patriotshave frequently been mentioned as a potential landing spot for the veteran wide receiver.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel did not rule out the possibility of his team trading for Brown when asked about it March 31 at the NFL's annual meeting.
"We've talked about this since last January. We're going to try to do everything we can to strengthen our roster through the draft, through free agency, multiple ways of player acquisition," Vrabel told reporters, perESPN.
"So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we're going to try to do."
OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades
OT Tytus Howard:Traded to Cleveland Browns(previous team: Houston Texans)
Brown would certainly qualify as an upgrade for New England. After all, the Patriots released their lone 1,000-yard receiver from the 2025 NFL season –Stefon Diggs– ahead of free agency.
The Patriotssigned Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million dealto help replace Diggs. They also have returning a group of receivers –Kayshon Boutte,DeMario Douglas,Mack Hollinsand 2025 third-round pickKyle Williams– about which Vrabel expressed enthusiasm.
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"There's a lot of guys that we're excited about," Vrabel told reporters.
NFL ANNUAL MEETING:Eagles GM had the same response to every A.J. Brown trade question
Still, Vrabel acknowledged it won't necessarily be easy to replace Diggs' "efficiency." Adding Brown – who has generated 1,000-yard seasons in six of his NFL campaigns and spent three seasons under Vrabel's tutelage with the Tennessee Titans from 2019-21 – could go a long way toward making that happen.
But for now, Brown remains with the Eagles. And if Philadelphia does trade him before the 2026 NFL season, it would likely be after June 1, when the team could spread his $43.5 million dead-cap hit across two years. Otherwise, the Eagles would have to absorb Brown's dead-cap hit all at once, which would cost the team $20.1 million in present-year cap space, perSpotrac.com.
So, the Patriots could find themselves in a long-term waiting game as they continue to seek upgrades for their receiving corps.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Could the Patriots trade for A.J. Brown? Mike Vrabel weighs in