Grade the trade: Patriots get a superstar receiver in A.J. Brown to pair with Drake Maye

The trade of A.J. Brown going to the New England Patriots is one of the biggest in the NFL this decade, yet it also felt anticlimactic.

This trade has been speculated on for months, but the Philadelphia Eagles and Patriots had to wait until June 1 for salary cap reasons to make it official. Even if the news didn’t land with the shock factor of other massive deals in recent years, it could have a huge impact on this season and beyond for both teams involved. The Patriots get Brown and the Eagles get a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, via ESPN.

Here are the grades for a huge NFL trade:

Patriots get No. 1 receiver in A.J. Brown

The Patriots went 14-3 last season and made a Super Bowl, with Drake Maye nearly winning MVP. Maye had a monster season without a great No. 1 receiver to throw to. That issue has been fixed.

Stefon Diggs had a good season at age 32, but he’s no longer a star at this point of his career. He had 1,013 yards and four touchdowns to lead New England last season, and after the Patriots let him go he has not signed with another team. No other Patriots wideout had more than 46 catches or 551 yards. There was a void in the offense despite its success last season.

Brown’s numbers dipped the past two seasons after a huge start to his career in Philadelphia. But in 2024 it was a run-heavy offense with Saquon Barkley, in 2025 the offense as a whole was a mess and coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired, and the Eagles have never been a high-volume passing team with Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Brown is just 28 years old and now goes to an offense that led the NFL in yards per pass attempt last season by a wide margin. Perhaps his output the past two seasons — he had 2,082 yards the past two seasons after posting 2,952 yards his first two Eagles seasons — is a sign that he’s slowing down. But it seems more likely that his very public displeasure with his role, and the issues within the Eagles’ offense, hints at Brown having a resurgence with a change of scenery. That possibility makes the trade a worthwhile bet for New England. Trades for veterans don’t always work out perfectly for the team getting the superstar, but this could be a transformative trade for the Patriots. True No. 1 receivers are hard to get, and the Patriots got one.

Grade: A

Eagles make a big change

The Eagles won a Super Bowl about 16 months ago, but last season was a huge disappointment. Their offense struggled, Brown seemed unhappy all season and by the end it was clear the two sides needed a change.

The most immediate impact is obvious: The Eagles lose one of the most talented receivers in the NFL and while they were preparing for the moment, there’s still no way to replicate Brown’s impact in the offense this season.

DeVonta Smith is a very good receiver (though much different than Brown), the Eagles are strong at tight end and rookie first-round draft pick Makai Lemon should replace a good percentage of Brown’s production. But an offense that was middling in many areas last season, including 15th in EPA (expected points added) per pass play, lost one of its best players. Even if Brown was not thrilled by his role last season and didn’t have great numbers, his presence affected defenses.

However, if any team is equipped to absorb a loss like this, the Eagles are at or near the top of the list. Locker room chemistry didn’t seem great with the 2025 Eagles and maybe a change will be good for Brown and Philadelphia too. The Eagles drafted Lemon and tight end Eli Stowers with their first two picks so they were already on the way toward reshaping the passing game without Brown. And general manager Howie Roseman has perhaps the best draft record in the NFL and can be trusted better than anyone to use the extra draft capital to build the roster back up. The Eagles also get Brown’s contract off the books, which will give them more flexibility.

It’s tough on the offense right away to lose Brown. But it was time for a change and the Eagles should be fine over the long term. If the Eagles could have gotten a 2027 first-round pick instead of one in 2028 it would have been an even better deal, but Philadelphia got what it could even after the Brown situation was beyond repair.

Grade: B