New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf’s latest comments about wide receiver A.J. Brown have further fueled trade speculation after a turbulent 2025 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite recording another 1,000-yard season, Brown was seen butting heads with the Philly coaching staff and has been rumored to leave the team. With the Patriots releasing their starting wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the Super Bowl runners-up have emerged as a landing spot, especially with Wolf’s comment on the Brown situation.

“As far as players on other teams, again, gonna keep the door open to anything that we think may improve our roster,” Wolf said during a press conference on April 13. “Whether that’s with the player you mentioned or other players.”

The Patriots completed a stellar turnaround in the 2025 season, going from a 4-13 team to the Super Bowl under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Leading this charge was their incredible offense, starting quarterback Drake Maye at the helm, which ranked second in points with 28.8 points per game. These stellar numbers were thanks to a receiving room that overachieved, with the veteran Stefon Diggs leading the team with 85 receptions on 100 targets for 1,013 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

However, with Diggs’ contract having a $26.5 million cap hit for the upcoming season and his off-field issues, like his legal case from December 2025 and his controversial breakup with former partner Cardi B, the Patriots decided to move on from him. With a hole at the WR1 spot despite the team signing Green Bay Packers‘ Romeo Doubs, who agreed to a four-year contract with a base value of $68 million, New England is expected to make a move to bring a top-tier wideout.

Furthermore, trading A.J. Brown after June 1 has its financial implications for the Eagles. Moving him before June 2 would result in a $43 million dead cap hit for Philly this season. The dead cap hit will be reduced to $16 million if the franchise makes the trade after the June 1 deadline.

Another major reason why New England has emerged as a prime landing spot for A.J. Brown is head coach Vrabel, who worked with the star wideout at the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2021. When asked about the possibility of a reunion in Foxborough, Mike Vrabel, like Eliot Wolf, kept the door open.

Mike Vrabel addresses the possibility of trading for A.J. Brown

During a media interaction at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, Mike Vrabel responded to questions about the Patriots trading for his former player, A.J. Brown, to bolster an offense that fell short in the Super Bowl. Vrabel revealed how New England is willing to take every step that would help them improve their roster and bring home the Super Bowl.

“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 said at the NFL’s annual meeting. “So anything that we can continue to do to strengthen the roster, we’re going to try to do.”

When reflecting on his initial period with the Tennessee Titans, A.J. Brown’s recollection was rather telling; he didn’t always receive the adoration and respect from the head coach. On the podcast titled Dudes on Dudes with Julian Edelman and Brian Hoyer in February, Brown shared that his initial encounter with Mike Vrabel was far from favorable.

During his first year, he found it challenging to adapt to the coach’s demeanor, which included constant criticism, strictness, and singling him out in front of others. To this extent, A.J. Brown mentioned that he used to write “I hate Vrabel” in his notes during practice just to appear busy.

“At the time, I didn’t really like Vrabe. I didn’t like him. I admit that, he knows that,” Brown told hosts Julian Edelman and Brian Hoyer. “In my notebook, I used to write ‘I hate Vrabe. I hate Vrabe. I hate Vrabe.’ Right? But, I was doing that to pretend like I was taking notes to look like I was engaged.”

In those moments, it seemed to be an unnecessary effort, a personal attack, and something he couldn’t tolerate. However, it turns out that such an aggressive attitude played its role, motivating him throughout training sessions. During his rookie season, Brown not only made himself comfortable on the field but also left an indelible mark on the game. In 2019, he recorded 52 receptions for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns, leading all NFL rookie records in receiving yards and averaging a staggering 20.2 yards per catch, establishing himself as a premier serious threat.

So, definitely he has a chance in the team. Also, with current responses from Vrabel and Wolf, it’s clear that the New England Patriots have some interest in adding another offensive weapon to avoid what happened in this year’s Big Game in San Francisco. But only time will tell if A.J. Brown turns out to be that name ahead of the 2026 season.

 

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